Paper Led By Dr. Delgado Named One of the “Best of 2021” by Annals of Internal Medicine

Annals of Internal Medicine has selected a paper led by CHIBE Associate Director M. Kit Delgado, MD, MS, as one of its best articles published in 2021.

The paper, “Comparative Effectiveness of an Automated Text Messaging Service for Monitoring COVID-19 at Home,” is the largest evaluation of a remote monitoring service for COVID in the United States, according to the authors. They found that enrollment in “COVID Watch” was associated with reduced mortality. The service offered twice-daily text message check-ins, as well as the ability to report worsening symptoms. Any escalating cases were handled by clinicians via telemedicine. The authors stated that the reduced mortality risk was possibly due to “more frequent telemedicine encounters and more frequent and earlier presentation to the emergency department.”

“These findings imply that COVID Watch is associated with a 64% relative reduction in the risk for death and that 1 life was saved for every 400 patients enrolled—or about 1 every 4 days during peak enrollment weeks,” the authors wrote.

CHIBE affiliates David Asch, MD, MBA; Mohan Balachandran, MA, MS; and Neda Khan, BS, were among the other authors of this paper. Dr. Asch is a member of CHIBE’s Internal Advisory Board, and Balachandran and Khan work at Way to Health as its Chief Operating Officer and Innovation Manager, respectively. Balachandran is also a member of CHIBE’s leadership team. In addition to serving as a CHIBE Associate Director, Dr. Delgado is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine and Epidemiology at the Perelman School of Medicine and an attending physician in the Penn Presbyterian Medical Center emergency department. He also leads the Behavioral Science & Analytics For Injury Reduction (BeSAFIR) Lab.

From #BestofAnnals 2021 collection: A @PennMedicine algorithmic text system saved 2 lives a week during 1st wave of #COVID19. Patients enrolled in the system were also 68% percent less likely to die than those not using it https://t.co/2En0sqIVSi. pic.twitter.com/kqqPQSJ2lD

— Annals of Int Med (@AnnalsofIM) January 11, 2022

Find the full author list below:

Kit Delgado, MD, MS; Anna U. Morgan, MD, MSc, MSHP; David A. Asch, MD, MBA; Ruiying Xiong, MS; Austin S. Kilaru, MD, MSHP; Kathleen C. Lee, MD; David Do, MD; Ari B. Friedman, MD, PhD; Zachary F. Meisel, MD, MPH, MSHP; Christopher K. Snider, MPH; Doreen Lam, BA; Andrew Parambath, BA; Christian Wood, BA; Chidinma M. Wilson, BA, BS; Michael Perez, BS, BA; Deena L. Chisholm, MPH; Sheila Kelly, MPH; Christina J. O’Malley, MHA; Nancy Mannion, DNP, RN, CEN; Ann Marie Huffenberger, DBA, RN, NEA-BC; Susan McGinley, CRNP; Mohan Balachandran, MA, MS; Neda Khan, BS; Nandita Mitra, PhD; Krisda H. Chaiyachati, MD, MPH, MSHP