Trellus Health upbeat on recent methodology research

Connected health management technology developer Trellus Health said on Monday that clinical research conducted by its co-founders Laurie Keefer and Marla Dubinsky had associated the ‘GRITT’, or ‘Gaining Resilience Through Transitions’. methodology with significantly lower healthcare utilisation, corticosteroid and opioid use in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

The AIM-traded firm said the research was published in a recent issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

It said the peer-reviewed article, titled ‘Resilience-based integrated IBD care is associated with reductions in health care use and opioids’, described the impact of applying the GRITT methodology on resilience, healthcare utilisation and opioid use in patients with IBD.

The company said 394 low-resilience IBD patients were recruited from an academic IBD centre, with 184 being GRITT participants and 210 not using GRITT.

GRITT IBD programme participants received an average of six months of multidisciplinary care management in-person and via telehealth, which included a combination of behavioural and nutritional care as well as medication counselling.

The research, conducted at the Susan and Leonard Feinstein IBD Clinical Center at the Mount Sinai Hospital by Dr Keefer and her team, identified that use of the GRITT, which included the GRITT resilience assessment and personalised treatment methodology, resulted in a 59% increase in resilience among study participants, which correlated with a 71% reduction in emergency department visits and a 94% reduction in unplanned hospitalisations.

It said the research also found that the GRITT participants showed a 49% decrease in opioid use and a 73% reduction in corticosteroid use at 12 months following the study.

The article concluded that validated methods, such as GRITT, that simultaneously address mind and body targets such as resilience evaluation and integrated care management, could improve patient outcomes and are associated with significant reductions in healthcare utilisation and opioid use.

It said the research reinforced and supplemented the positive health outcomes associated with use of the GRITT methodology presented in a plenary session at the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) 2020 annual scientific meeting,

Trellus Health holds the exclusive commercial licence of the GRITT methodology from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, part of the Mount Sinai Health System in New York, for IBD and seven major chronic conditions including heart disease, cancer, kidney disease, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, and cystic fibrosis.

The company said it intended to scale GRITT globally using its proprietary ‘TrellusElevate’ platform and virtual licensed multidisciplinary care teams, including specialist nurses, behavioural health specialists and registered dietitian nutritionists.

“Awareness of the importance of treating the whole person when it comes to chronic disease continues to grow - patients need access to professionals who can collaborate and consider their disease management goals in context with the rest of their lives,” said the article’s lead author and Trellus co-founder Dr Laurie Keefer.

“Patients living with IBD do not have to suffer. Resilience training works when offered in the setting of quality IBD medical care.”

When physical and mental health were not separated, Dr Keefer said patients could “take back control” and improve their own outcomes, significantly reducing the need for emergency care.

“This second study further confirms this and increases the urgency for getting as many patients access to much needed psychosocial care as we can.”

Monique Fayad, chief executive officer of Trellus, added that the company was pleased with the positive conclusions of the research, which augmented the data presented in its co-founders' 2020 ACG presentation.

“We believe that our resilience-driven whole-person approach using the GRITT methodology can dramatically improve outcomes for patients living with chronic conditions.

“This will not only lead to improvements in health and quality of life, but also drive significant expense reductions associated with costly unplanned care.

“This research shows the potential benefit of our integrated virtual care management offering for millions of people who suffer from IBD around the world, and for healthcare payers interested in scientifically-validated value-based solutions for complex chronic conditions.”

At 0958 GMT, shares in Trellus Health were up 1.17% at 47.55p.