SHB: Type II (INT): A Goal-seeking Framework to Empower Personalized Wellness Management

University Of Akron, Akron OH

Investigators

Abstract

Personalized Wellness Management (PWM) is a critical national priority that has the potential to significantly reduce healthcare costs, which are presently greater than 16% of the nation's GDP. To address growing societal challenges, the current reactive approach to medical practice, which is focused on disease management, must be transformed into a proactive approach that empowers individuals to manage their personal wellness. We propose a multi-disciplinary investigation into a novel systems framework that will empower individuals to adopt permanent lifestyle changes that result in sustained PWM. Intellectual Merit: A goal-seeking systems framework that enables the integration of medical protocols and behavioral analysis protocols with emerging technologies and devices is developed in this project. The approach empowers individuals by (a) suggesting actions that they are most likely to perform, (b) ensuring that the resources required for the suggested actions are accessible, (c) reinforcing their desire to achieve the target consequences through incentives, and (d) enabling them to track their personal progress toward their target consequences. The goal-seeking framework seeks to find good-enough solutions and does not require a precise model of the underlying solution. As long as the measured consequences of the selected actions are within an acceptable tolerance limit, the decision-maker allows the system to evolve. The ability to tailor the tolerance limit to an individual, vary the limit over time, and incorporate humans in the decision-making loop all make the approach attractive. The PIs have assembled an inter-disciplinary team with representation from engineering, medicine, sport and exercise science, psychology, and nursing. Broader Impacts: In this project, undergraduate and graduate students across multiple disciplines work together in all aspects of the investigation. The research outcomes will eventually be integrated with ongoing courses in engineering and in sport and exercise science. Results will be widely disseminated through traditional academic publications and non-traditional avenues. For example, the team will start a Personalized Wellness column in local community newspapers. Community representatives will be invited to attend project workshops and presentations. The systems-framework that is based on the goal-seeking paradigm has the potential to fundamentally transform current practice in personalized medicine, community psychiatric services delivery, substance-dependence reduction programs, and reducing obesity among K-12 students. The Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron (ABIA) will use the software and other instruments from this investigation in its Accountable Care Community Project. The ABIA has already developed a Summit County (OH) Wellness Council comprising Pubic Health, Medical, and Social Service organizations that are developing programs to maximize health impact through prevention, reduce health disparities, and expand the evidence base for local policy changes that impact community health. Considering that about 80% of the students at The University of Akron are from six adjacent counties in Ohio, and the fact that a very large percentage of these students prefer to live and raise their families in this region, the outcomes of this investigation are very likely to have a long-lasting impact on the regional economy and industry. Keywords: Goal-seeking Paradigm, Personalized Wellness, Technology Empowerment