The new technology, called Hugo, allows patients to grant scientists access to their health data so it can be integrated into research. In its first study, Yale researchers plan to use Hugo to acquire a comprehensive set of data on hospital readmissions. Approximately 20 to 30 percent of hospital readmissions occur in disparate facilities, which can make collecting reliable data challenging for one system. The study is in keeping with the Sync-for-Science concept, which is endorsed by the National Institutes of Health Precision Medicine Initiative, which aims to better engage people in research and promote the patient’s ability to obtain their own data and decide whether to offer it up to medical research.
“We believe this is going to be a new era of discovery,” said Robert J. Alpern, MD, dean of the Yale School of Medicine. “It’s going to ensure that we’re doing research better, less expensively, and in a way that fully respects and honors those who participate.”
