The Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust is part of an innovative trial using data from a patient's Fitbit to help them recover from heart attacks.
Along with NHS colleagues in London and Sheffield and tech firms Fitbit, Google and ConnectedLife, the NHS Trust is trialling a new system which can use smartwatch data to help improve rehabilitation services for those who have had a heart attack or heart surgery.
The idea is that the Digitally Enhanced Rehabilitation in Cardiac Patients (DERIC) platform will help break down barriers which can prevent people from accessing rehab services - along with tackling health inequalities which see poor rates of uptake on cardiac rehab programmes. Women and people from deprived areas are already at high risk of failing to complete rehab programmes.
Now the Deric programme - developed by health tech firm ConnectedLife - will allow rehab to be carried out with patients in their own homes. This will uses a Fitbit smartwatch to measure health data including heart rate, rhythm and physical activity - while patients will also enter other vital statistics on the new app.
They will be able to use the ConnectedLive platform to share information with hospital teams.
Andrew Edmunds, director of innovation at Northumbria Healthcare, said: "Continually improving patient care and experience is always at the core of all we do. Given the complex nature of cardiac rehabilitation and care, the need to widen participation and improve the quality of remotely delivered solutions is very apparent.
"We want to explore to what degree digital technologies may offer a solution, while also addressing health inequalities."
Nicola Maxwell, from Fitbit Health Solutions added: "This collaboration helps doctors, nurses and other health professionals to remotely monitor their patients. It could lead to better condition management and potentially reduce the burden on the healthcare system."
Cardiac rehab services are used by more than 100,000 patients a year around the UK. The new trial will see if the DERIC platform is cost-effective and track if it benefits patients. None of the technology firms are to be granted access to patient medical records.
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