DATAcc by DiMe Launches Digital Strategy for Standardized Measurement of Physical Activity

Core measures and other resources are now available to support an industry standard for digitally measured physical activity, increasingly recognized as the '6th vital sign' 

BOSTON, Feb. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Digital Health Measurement Collaborative Community (DATAcc) by the Digital Medicine Society (DiMe) released a core set of digital measures for physical activity, providing a roadmap for leveraging digital tools to measure the '6th vital sign.' Researchers and healthcare professionals can now better assess and address the impact of exercise on an individual's well-being. The measures were developed in partnership with industry leaders following a cross-disciplinary, evidence-based research project. New resources – including ontologies, a decision tool, and illustrative scenarios – provide specific support to clinical researchers, healthcare providers and decision-makers, and digital health technology developers to effectively implement these new core measures.

The importance of physical activity to health has long been recognized, and technology exists today to seamlessly measure it in the broad population. Now, with DATAcc's new core set of measures and resources, we can measure it in a more accurate and meaningful way to fully embrace it as the "6th vital sign."

"This new core set of digital measures for physical activity will advance the industry by reducing duplicative efforts and speeding the path to discoveries that will benefit the patients we aim to serve," said Jennifer Goldsack, CEO of DiMe. "The widespread adoption of core measures will revolutionize the field and enable a new era of healthcare care - one where we can improve lives at the population level by measuring the most pertinent aspects of physical activity to better inform research, clinical care, and payer decision-making."

To develop the core set of measures and resources, DATAcc by DiMe convened a group of industry leaders, including: Alexion, COPD Foundation, Defense Innovation Unit, Duke Big Ideas Lab, Merck, Nestle, Open mHealth, Physical Activity Alliance, Savvy, The Michael J. Fox Foundation, Activeinsights, Analog Devices, Empatica, Emteq Labs, Evidation, Fitbit, IQVIA, Koneksa, Medable, National Institutes of Health, Parexel, Verily, and VivoSense.

"These new core measures of physical activity are an exciting industry breakthrough. At Verily, we will use the measures and resources to guide the development of products that drive clinical impact," said Sooyoon Shin, the Digital Biomarkers Clinical Science Lead, Verily. "These resources are a great example of how DATAcc by DiMe supports innovative industry advancements that will have a meaningful impact on patients' lives, enabling us to more quickly progress the development of new therapies and support patients along their health journey."

DATAcc continues to push the frontier of digital measures. Four years ago, the Library of Digital Endpoints launched, and since then, the number of sponsors actively collecting digital endpoints in clinical trials has increased more than tenfold; physical activity continues to lead as the most commonly measured health concept. Building off this momentum and extending its portfolio of digital measures work, DATAcc is now convening a project team to build the business case for digital endpoints. Learn more and share your interest in joining here.

About the Digital Medicine Society: DiMe is a global non-profit and the professional home for all members of the digital medicine community. Together, we tackle the toughest digital medicine challenges, develop clinical-quality resources on a technology timeline, and deliver these actionable resources to the field via open-source channels and educational programs.

About DATAcc by DiMe: The Digital Health Measurement Collaborative Community (DATAcc) by the Digital Medicine Society (DiMe) is a collaborative community with the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health. We provide a forum for collaboration where partners and experts from across the digital health field work to advance the use of digital health measures in research to improve lives.

Media Contact: Carla English, [email protected]

SOURCE Digital Medicine Society (DiMe)