Cliexa is excited to partner with the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) with a grant from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Adolescent Health that provides nearly one million dollars over the next two years for the implementation of cliexa-OPTIONS, a digital screening intervention tool that fosters earlier identification of high-risk adolescents in a clinical setting. The funding supports independent evaluation including, cost-benefit analysis and randomized controlled trial of the cliexa-OPTIONS risk screening tool and MyPLAN mobile health follow-up. The Principal Investigator for the project at UNC is Dr. William Merchant. He is the evaluation professor in the Applied Statistics and Research Methods program in the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences.Â
The cost-benefit analysis assesses cost savings between the cliexa-OPTIONS risk screening against current paper pencil and verbal screenings. Also, the cliexa-OPTIONS risk screening identifies 30- 50% more risk in adolescent populations fostering early identification of adolescents at highest risk for acquiring an STI or experiencing an unplanned pregnancy. Improving quality in clinical workflows for adolescent and young adult populations is timely, given that sexually transmitted infections for young people ages 15 -24 are at epidemic proportions.
Saving time and keeping providers satisfied with new technology in clinical workflows is no simple task. The cost-benefit analysis will also assess the benefits of early identification of adolescents at highest risk for adverse reproductive health outcomes, substance use, mental health, and wellness.
Read the full article at: //www.unco.edu/news/newsroom/releases/million-dollar-grant-digital-screening-intervention-tool.aspx
