Sahha vs Spike
Behavioral Health Research vs Medical Device Integration
Executive Summary
Perspective Note: Spike has a specific focus on medical device integration, EMR/EHR connectivity, and AI-powered healthcare applications—making it less commonly used in standard consumer health applications. This comparison evaluates both platforms from the perspective of someone choosing which platform would best assist their specific research or application needs.
Sahha
Best For: Mental health research, depression/anxiety studies, population-wide behavioral monitoring
Key Strength: Smartphone-based behavioral intelligence with validated mental wellbeing, stress, and readiness scores
Unique Feature: 100% participant coverage without distributing devices
Data Type: Behavioral patterns, sleep quality, activity levels, validated health scores
Target Research: Mental health studies, behavioral health, population research
Spike
Best For: Clinical trials, medical device studies, hospital integrations
Key Strength: Medical device integration (ECG, CGM, blood pressure monitors) for clinical research
Unique Feature: EMR/EHR integration for clinical workflows
Data Type: Clinical-grade physiological measurements
Target Research: FDA-regulated studies, cardiovascular research, diabetes management
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
1. Core Research Focus
Sahha
Behavioral health and mental wellbeing platform validated for population-level research.
- Validated Scores: Mental wellbeing scores, stress levels, readiness scores
- Behavioral Patterns: Sleep quality, activity levels, circadian rhythm
- Predictive Models: Early warning signs 3-5 days before clinical presentation
- Validated Research: University of Otago study with 4,500 participants
- Smartphone-Based: No device distribution required
Spike
Medical device integration platform for clinical-grade physiological monitoring.
- Cardiovascular: ECG, blood pressure, heart rate variability
- Metabolic: Continuous glucose monitors (CGM), blood glucose
- Respiratory: Pulse oximetry, spirometry, respiratory rate
- Medical Devices: FDA-cleared and medical-grade sensors
- EMR Integration: Direct integration with hospital systems
2. Participant Coverage
Sahha
Universal Coverage (100%):
- Smartphone sensors only - no device required
- Works on iOS and Android (4.88 billion users)
- No hardware costs or distribution logistics
- Participants use their existing phone
- Ideal for large-scale population studies
- Reduces barriers to participation
Example: 10,000-person mental health study reaches 100% of participants without device distribution.
Spike
Device-Dependent Coverage:
- Requires medical device distribution
- ECG monitors, CGMs, BP cuffs, pulse oximeters
- Hardware costs: $50-500 per participant
- Logistics: shipping, training, support
- Higher participant burden (device compliance)
- Best for smaller, controlled clinical trials
Example: 500-person cardiovascular study provides ECG monitors, expects 15-20% dropout due to device compliance issues.
3. Data Types & Intelligence
Sahha
Behavioral Intelligence:
- Sleep Quality: Duration, regularity, efficiency, sleep debt
- Activity Patterns: Movement, sedentary time, exercise frequency
- Mental Wellbeing: Screen time, app usage, behavioral markers
- Behavioral Archetypes: Sleep patterns, activity levels, consistency
- Predictive Scores: Overall wellbeing, readiness, stress indicators
Output: "Participant shows declining sleep regularity (↓23%) and increased nocturnal smartphone use, consistent with emerging depressive episode."
Spike
Clinical-Grade Measurements:
- ECG: Heart rhythm, arrhythmia detection, HRV
- Glucose: Continuous monitoring, time in range, variability
- Blood Pressure: Systolic/diastolic, pulse pressure
- Oxygen Saturation: SpO2, hypoxia detection
- Medical-Grade: FDA-cleared device data
Output: "Patient exhibits atrial fibrillation episodes (3/day), glucose excursions >180 mg/dL post-meal, hypertensive readings (145/95 mmHg)."
4. Research Applications
Sahha
Ideal For:
- ✓ Depression and anxiety intervention studies
- ✓ Mental health research using behavioral markers
- ✓ Sleep disorder population studies
- ✓ Stress and readiness monitoring research
- ✓ Digital therapeutics efficacy trials
- ✓ Behavioral intervention outcomes
- ✓ Large-scale epidemiological studies
- ✓ Student mental health cohorts
Not Ideal For: Cardiovascular physiology, metabolic disease, medical device validation, FDA submission studies
Spike
Ideal For:
- ✓ Cardiovascular clinical trials
- ✓ Diabetes management studies
- ✓ Hypertension research
- ✓ Medical device validation (FDA)
- ✓ Hospital-based research
- ✓ Drug efficacy trials (cardiovascular, metabolic)
- ✓ Remote patient monitoring validation
- ✓ Arrhythmia detection studies
Not Ideal For: Mental health research, behavioral studies, sleep quality (non-clinical), population-wide studies (device logistics)
5. Integration & Compliance
Sahha
Behavioral Research Platform:
- SDK integration (iOS, Android, Flutter, React Native)
- REST API for data queries
- Webhook events for real-time updates
- HIPAA & GDPR compliant
- Informed consent workflows
- IRB-ready documentation
- 3-month data retention
Spike
Clinical Integration Platform:
- EMR/EHR integrations (Epic, Cerner, etc.)
- HL7/FHIR standards support
- Medical device APIs
- HIPAA & GDPR compliant
- FDA-ready data formats
- Clinical trial management integrations
- GCP (Good Clinical Practice) compliant
Which Should You Choose for Your Research?
Choose Sahha If Your Study Focuses On:
- Mental health research (depression, anxiety studies using behavioral markers)
- Behavioral patterns (sleep, activity, screen time)
- Population-level studies requiring high participant numbers
- Digital therapeutic efficacy (app-based interventions)
- Workplace wellness and stress research
- Sleep disorders and circadian rhythm studies
- Validated health scores (mental wellbeing, stress, readiness)
- Cost-sensitive research (no device distribution)
- Diverse populations (smartphone penetration vs wearable ownership)
Choose Spike If Your Study Requires:
- Clinical-grade physiological measurements (ECG, BP, glucose)
- Medical device validation for FDA submission
- Cardiovascular research (arrhythmia, heart failure)
- Metabolic studies (diabetes, CGM monitoring)
- Hospital integration (EMR/EHR workflows)
- Drug efficacy trials (cardiovascular/metabolic endpoints)
- Controlled clinical trials with specific medical devices
- Regulatory compliance (FDA, medical device standards)
- Smaller cohorts where device distribution is feasible
Critical Evaluation Question
Spike is one of the best platforms for clinical research and medical device integration. However, if your study focuses on behavioral health, mental wellbeing, or requires high participant coverage without distributing devices, evaluate whether Sahha's behavioral data and smartphone-based approach better serves your research cohort.
The key question: Does your research hypothesis require clinical-grade physiological measurements, or are you studying behavioral patterns and mental health outcomes?
Research Scenario Comparisons
Scenario 1: Depression Intervention Study (1,000 participants)
With Sahha
- Coverage: 1,000/1,000 participants (100%)
- Device Cost: $0 (smartphone-based)
- Data Collected: Sleep quality, activity patterns, behavioral markers
- Outcome Measures: Mental wellbeing score, sleep regularity, activity consistency
- Dropout Rate: ~8% (app compliance)
- Total Cost: Platform fees only
With Spike
- Coverage: Limited (no behavioral markers)
- Device Cost: Spike doesn't measure behavioral/mental health
- Data Collected: N/A - not suitable for this study type
- Outcome Measures: Spike measures physiology, not mental health
- Verdict: Wrong tool for this research question
Outcome: Sahha is the appropriate choice. Spike doesn't measure behavioral or mental health markers.
Scenario 2: Cardiovascular Drug Trial (500 participants)
With Sahha
- Coverage: 500/500 participants
- Data Collected: Activity, sleep (indirect cardiovascular indicators)
- ECG Data: Not available
- Blood Pressure: Not measured
- FDA Endpoints: Cannot provide clinical-grade cardiovascular data
- Verdict: Wrong tool for this research question
With Spike
- Coverage: 500/500 participants
- Device Cost: $150-300/participant (ECG monitor, BP cuff)
- Data Collected: Continuous ECG, blood pressure, heart rate variability
- FDA Endpoints: Clinical-grade measurements suitable for submission
- Dropout Rate: ~15-20% (device compliance)
- Total Cost: $75K-150K devices + platform fees
Outcome: Spike is the appropriate choice. Sahha doesn't provide clinical-grade cardiovascular measurements.
Scenario 3: Sleep Disorder Study (2,000 participants)
With Sahha
- Coverage: 2,000/2,000 participants (100%)
- Device Cost: $0 (smartphone sensors)
- Data: Sleep duration, regularity, quality scores
- Validation: Research-validated sleep detection
- Best For: Population-level sleep quality studies
With Spike
- Coverage: Variable (depends on device)
- Medical-Grade: Can integrate polysomnography for clinical diagnosis
- Data: Clinical sleep stages, apnea detection
- Best For: Clinical sleep disorder diagnosis
Decision Point: Population sleep quality study → Sahha. Clinical sleep disorder diagnosis → Spike.
The Bottom Line
Sahha and Spike solve fundamentally different research problems.
Spike excels at clinical research requiring medical-grade physiological measurements. If your study involves cardiovascular endpoints, metabolic monitoring, FDA submissions, or medical device validation, Spike is one of the best platforms available.
Sahha excels at behavioral health research requiring population-scale monitoring without device distribution. If your study involves mental health outcomes, behavioral patterns, sleep quality, or digital therapeutic efficacy, Sahha provides validated intelligence with 100% participant coverage.
Recommendation:
- Spike for: Clinical trials, medical devices, FDA-regulated studies, cardiovascular/metabolic research, hospital integrations
- Sahha for: Behavioral health research, mental health studies, population monitoring, digital therapeutics, sleep research, no-device-required studies
The critical question isn't which platform is "better"—it's which platform matches your research question. Evaluate whether your study requires clinical-grade physiological measurements (Spike) or validated behavioral intelligence (Sahha).