Smartphone video support to help kids and teens take hydroxyurea
ADHERE (Applying Directly observed therapy to HydroxyurEa to Realize Effectiveness)
This offers a smartphone video program to help children and teens with sickle cell disease take their hydroxyurea medicine regularly.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 2 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Emocha Mobile Health, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Owings Mills, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11176086 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Using a smartphone app you'll record short videos showing you or your child taking hydroxyurea, get reminder alerts, and receive encouraging feedback from trained observers. The program can include small monetary rewards for meeting medication goals to boost motivation. The team updated the approach after earlier participants had problems with email delivery and inconsistent phone access, and they will carefully track how much people use the app to see who benefits most. The focus is on helping children and adolescents with sickle cell disease make daily medication easier and more reliable.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Children and adolescents with sickle cell disease who are prescribed hydroxyurea and can use (or have caregiver access to) a smartphone are ideal candidates.
Not a fit: Adults outside the pediatric age range, people not prescribed hydroxyurea, or those without reliable smartphone access are unlikely to benefit from this program.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If it works, young people with sickle cell disease could take hydroxyurea more consistently and experience fewer painful episodes and hospital visits.
How similar studies have performed: A previous single-arm study of video directly observed therapy showed promising adherence results but had higher-than-expected drop-out and tech-access problems, so more testing is needed.
Where this research is happening
Owings Mills, United States
- Emocha Mobile Health, INC. — Owings Mills, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Seiguer, Sebastian — Emocha Mobile Health, INC.
- Study coordinator: Seiguer, Sebastian
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.