Grabba have partnered with Enfora Inc and a major manufacturer of hand-held computers to develop an attachment used in patient monitoring in United States clinical trails.

12,000 Grabba attachments have been provided for the Enfora Quad Band wireless module to be connected to the hand-held computer. This enables the computer to be used as a continuously-connected computing device that has been deployed to thousands of patients involved in medical clinical trials.

An Enfora customer that is a major player in the United States for managing clinical trials contracted Enfora to supply the finished package. Grabba worked with Enfora as a sub-contractor to supply Grabba’s registered design components, designed uniquely to fit the chosen hand-held computer.

Patients input health data into a ‘dumb’ terminal that can only be used for the clinical trial purposes. This data is sent in real-time to the clinical trail company for assessment and analysis, and removes the need for phone calls and paper data entry by the patient. This straightforward reporting process simplifies patient management and also improves the retention of patients.

During the period January 2007 to June 2008, Grabba supplied Enfora with 12,000 sets of components in deliveries of three x 4,000 units per shipment. It is expected that a further 18,000 units will be deployed during the next 12 months.

Remote patient monitoring is a fast-growing market segment for deploying end-to-end wireless connectivity solutions. Remote monitoring offers the opportunity for real-time diagnosis and personalised medical attention that can assist clinical trial participants avoid or reduce adverse effects from treatments.

This project has revolutionized the way clinical trials companies collect details of patient-reported outcomes during clinical trials.