Digital Innovation Webinar: Rheumatology Connect App
Friday 20th September 10am
Working alongside Dr Kirsten Mackay, Consultant Rheumatologist, and Rian Penford, Specialist Nurse in Rheumatology at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, partnership organisation Health and Care Videos have co-designed a pilot Rheumatology app for patients in Torbay, Devon.
The aim was to test clinician and patient reaction to the concept, and help patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriatic Arthritis, Spondyloarthritis, and many other rheumatology conditions to:
• Manage their conditions more effectively
• Increase patient understanding and reduce anxiety (especially in newly diagnosed patients)
• Enable patients to self-manage more quickly
In turn, this should also work to reduce demands on the system.
The response was overwhelmingly positive, with over 1400 downloads of the app to date and 30% of users spending 5 minutes or more looking around.
The next phase:
With funding contributed from ERDF, Novartis and TAP, the next phase, Rheumatology Connect 2, has started. This will bring to life a more enhanced version with greater interactivity between patient and consultant, and include ways to manage medicines and pain scores.
RA forces significant changes on the life of the patient in terms of living with pain, sleep deprivation and fatigue which peak (a flare) and subside over time without a pattern. Interaction with clinicians are usually disconnected from the pattern of the disease. Linking the clinician more closely to the patient’s daily experience of their disease should allow more precise and effective interventions. The ability to graph results and share, should encourage compliance and self-efficacy and may reduce the number of follow-up appointments or telephone clinic appointments.
After testing, the app will be made available for other Trusts to commission as well as developing a similar concept for other long-term conditions such as cardiology, dermatology and MS.
The webinar:
Health and Care Videos are hosting a webinar on 20th September with Dr. Kirsten Mackay, Rheumatology Consultant at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust and Hugh Kelly, Director of Implementation at Health and Care Videos.
All specialties are welcome.
You can register here