2025 · Journal of medical Internet research · open access
Digital Transformation of Rheumatology Care in Germany: Cross-Sectional National Survey
May et al.
The finding, in our words
Only 1% of 337 rheumatology patients in Germany reported using at-home blood self-sampling, whereas 21% used wearables and 21% used mHealth apps. Despite 65% finding digital health technologies useful, insufficient user knowledge and limited information were the main barriers, highlighting the need for education to support decentralised diagnostics.
A paraphrase to the Library’s standard, never the abstract. The source is one link away and is always the authority.
In a Phase 1 crossover study of etrasimod, self-collected blood microsamples yielded pharmacokinetic exposures comparable to conventional venous sampling, both with and without participant practice sessions. Continuous wearable sensors concurrently enabled real-time remote monitoring of safety vital signs and electrocardiograms, demonstrating the viability of hybrid decentralised designs in early-phase clinical trials.
Malhotra et al., Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics · source ↗
Decentralised monitoring of people with type 2 diabetes using continuous glucose monitoring and a hybrid smartwatch was feasible, with high participant retention and successful collection of glucose, heart rate, activity, sleep and GPS data via a study app.
Ali et al., Journal of diabetes science and technology (paywalled) · source ↗
The authors built a home-use ovulation detector that measures basal body temperature and cervical mucus pH, validated it in twenty women, and reported satisfactory performance for identifying fertility windows to aid both contraception and conception. This supports decentralised, patient-managed fertility monitoring integrated with smartphone e-health platforms.
Mansouri, Journal of medical signals and sensors · source ↗
Merck describes a digitally enabled, patient-centric trial initiative that combines outpatient PK/PD sampling with digital biomarkers and smart dosing technologies to improve exposure-response understanding and reduce patient burden, while acknowledging adoption challenges.
Dockendorf et al., Clinical and translational science · source ↗
The study observed favourable trends in the accrual of participants residing far from the site and those from underrepresented groups following the implementation of a decentralised clinical trial program.