Request for Information (RFI): Opportunities to Advance Clinical and Epidemiologic Research to Facilitate Aging in Place utilizing In-Home Monitoring

Notice Number: NOT-HL-14-222

Update: The following update relating to this announcement has been issued:

  • April 29, 2014 - Notice is to inform potential participants that the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) will participate in NOT-HL-14-222. See Notice NOT-NS-14-029.

Key Dates
Release Date: April 24, 2014
Response Date: June 25, 2014

Related Announcements
None

Issued by
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR)
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR)
Administration for Community Living (ACL)
Office of Women's Health (OWH)
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

Purpose

This Request for Information (RFI) seeks input about opportunities, appropriate infrastructure, critical needs and key questions that will advance research in order to optimize the care and treatment, independence and community living of the aging population and individuals with chronic disabilities (e.g., physical, developmental, and/or intellectual disabilities) aimed at supporting aging in place and reducing hospitalization and admissions to a nursing facility. NHLBI invites comments from researchers, patient advocacy groups, patients, device companies, and healthcare providers.

Background

An understanding of the current status and future directions for Aging Systems Technology (AST) for aging, chronic disabilities, community living and independence is needed in order to examine critical gaps in knowledge, standards, and infrastructure supports. The potential use and benefits of these technologies are of great interest since the population is aging and people are living longer with multiple chronic conditions.

More background information can be found at the following link:
http://aspe.hhs.gov/daltcp/reports/2012/astsrptcong.shtml

Information Requested

This RFI is intended to solicit perspectives and comments from the broad community on scientific opportunities, critical needs and optimal configurations for conducting research in the area of unobtrusive in-home monitoring for the aging population and individuals with chronic disabilities. Your comments can include but are not limited to:

1. The most important questions and challenges over the next 5-10 years regarding technology to facilitate independent aging.

2. Programs, investments, and/or grant mechanisms that NIH ought to consider in order to foster clinical and epidemiologic research in the use of in-home monitoring devices, including tele-health, to assist the elderly and individuals with chronic disabilities to remain at home.

3. Recommendations for programs, infrastructure or investments to best address the important questions in this field focused on research questions.

4. Optimal configurations for allowing innovation and autonomy of private companies to interact with academic research to provide information for improving health care and reducing transitions in care to facilities.

5. Scale-up evaluations and deployment or technology transfer considerations and validation of algorithms and sensed data for home healthcare uses.

If you choose not to identify yourself when replying, please identify your role in the field to help us better understand the thoughts of particular groups. For example, please indicate if you are a care provider, patient, patient advocate, researcher, device company, etc.

Responses

To ensure consideration, all responses should be submitted by June 25, 2014.

Respond by email to: iturriae@mail.nih.gov. Please include the text RFI Reply in your subject line.

This RFI is for planning purposes only and should not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of the Federal Government generally or the NIH specifically. The NIH does not intend to make any awards based on responses to this RFI or to otherwise pay for the preparation of any information submitted or for the Government's use of such information

The NIH will use the information submitted in response to this RFI at its discretion and will not provide comments to any responder's submission. However, responses to the RFI may be reflected in future solicitation(s). The information provided will be analyzed and may appear in reports. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response. The Government reserves the right to use any non-proprietary technical information in any resultant solicitation(s).

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

Erin Iturriaga
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Telephone: 301-435-0403
Email: iturriae@mail.nih.gov