Taking learnings from COVID-19, new GetWell Loop care plan aims to help manage and slow spread of monkeypox
Bethesda, MD (8/16/22) — Get Well, a leading global digital health company, today announced it has released a new monkeypox digital care management plan. This is the first digital care plan for monkeypox to be released in the industry. Get Well’s monkeypox symptom monitoring tool, which is available now, is designed to help manage and slow the spread of the virus. It enables patients or clinicians exposed to the virus to effectively monitor their symptoms from home, allowing providers to triage patients to the right setting of care when and if symptoms escalate. The monkeypox care plan also aids hospitals in managing mandatory regulatory requirements for reporting and tracking infectious diseases.
On August 4, 2022, the Biden Administration declared monkeypox a public health emergency with more than 6,600 cases confirmed across the United States. Additionally, in July, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared monkeypox a global health emergency after new cases of the virus were reported in more than 75 countries.
“With Monkeypox spreading rapidly, patients and providers are again forced to manage and navigate under duress and with fluid information,” said Michael O’Neil, founder and CEO of Get Well. “COVID-19 taught us the importance of moving with creativity, pace, and precision to support our provider partners. This new care plan will help patients effectively monitor and manage their symptoms proactively and keep them safe at home, which will reduce the burden on hospitals and healthcare workers.”
The monkeypox symptom monitoring tool is a 21-day care plan that educates patients about monkeypox, including how it transmits, what symptoms look like, and what patients should do if symptoms arise. The care plan also provides information on available antiviral treatments and allows patients to track their symptoms (e.g., fever, rash, aches, pains, headache, swollen lymph nodes). It then alerts clinicians if symptoms progress or improve or if the patient needs further medical intervention. In addition to symptom tracking and information about treatment options, the care plan provides guidance on isolation protocols, letting patients know when it is safe to interact with others and when precautions are no longer necessary. It can be used by anyone, including healthcare staff who have been exposed or who have tested positive.
“We worked with Get Well to implement digital care plans quickly for COVID-19 in 2020, and we are now seeing heightened interest around monkeypox, given the increasing number of cases. We are hopeful that having ready access to information and monitoring can provide reassurance and reduce anxiety around monkeypox,” said Adam Beck, director of digital health at LifeBridge Health. LifeBridge Health began offering the Get Well’s monkeypox symptom monitoring tool last month.
Pothik Chatterjee, assistant vice president of innovation for LifeBridge Health, adds, “Early messaging around monkeypox and how has it spreads raised some unfortunate stigmas, as the illness initially affected gay men at a higher rate. However, everyone is susceptible and there are many ways it can spread, so we were pleased to work with Get Well on a proactive approach to share accurate and timely information.”
“Get Well has the ability to rapidly innovate and deploy digital tools that can help immediately, and we are grateful always for partners like LifeBridge Health who move quickly when people are in need,” said O’Neil.
Get Well’s monkeypox symptom monitoring tool can be used alongside any of the available 250+ digital care management plans in the Get Well library, including the General Hospital Discharge Loop, and other procedural and chronic condition Loops.
For more information, visit getwellnetwork.com.
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About Get Well
Get Well is a global digital health company with more than 20 years of experience improving patient engagement. Through partnerships with some of the most progressive hospitals and health systems in the world, we use digital technology to improve the healthcare experience for patients, their families, and clinicians. Learn more at getwellnetwork.com or follow Get Well on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.
