The burden of chronic disease in the United States is formidable, with 70% of all deaths attributable to some form of chronic illness. As the majority of chronic diseases arise from, and vary in severity with, modifiable behaviors, self-care has enormous potential to ameliorate their course; however, adherence to self-care plans is often poor. Advances in technology can empower patients in novel ways to adhere to self-care management plans. The Palaistra System is a breakthrough wireless remote patient monitoring and response system that collects and transmits patient data and provides daily interactive, individually tailored informative messages, based on patient data, via cellular phones. Adoption and maintenance of recommended lifestyle changes and disease monitoring/management practices are thus facilitated. Proposed, therefore, is Novel Interactive Cell-phone technology for Health Enhancement (NICHE), a controlled clinical trial evaluating the feasibility and efficacy of the Palaistra System in the management of type 2 diabetes in adults. Feasibility outcomes of this Phase I STTR trial are success of implementation in a clinical setting and validated measures of patient and clinician satisfaction. Clinical and disease-specific outcomes include: HbA1c levels, BMI, physical activity levels, diabetes self-care knowledge and self-efficacy.
