“Federal officials and healthcare organizations are ramping up efforts to use mHealth and telehealth to combat the nation’s opioid abuse epidemic.”
“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration this week launched an effort to bring connected health technologies to bear on the issue. The FDA’s new innovation challenge seeks “to spur the development of medical devices, including digital health technologies and diagnostic tests that could provide novel solutions to detecting, treating and preventing addiction, addressing diversion and treating pain.”
“The FDA’s challenge, running through Sept. 30, seeks mHealth technology in any stage of development, including diagnostic tools that identify those with an increased risk for addiction, treatments for pain that eliminate the need for opioid analgesics, treatments for opioid use disorder or symptoms of opioid withdrawal and technology that can…”
“On Capitol Hill, meanwhile, lawmakers are seeking to address the issue with legislation that would open the door to more telehealth programs. And they’re getting support from the healthcare community. A dozen organizations have thrown their support behind the Expanding Telehealth Response to Ensure Addiction Treatment (eTREAT) Act…” Read the full article here.
Source: FDA Challenge Eyes Digital Health Technology to Combat Opioid Abuse – By Eric Wicklund, May 31, 2018. mHealth Intelligence.
