UK-based digital remote care company Inhealthcare has added another of their technology services to the long list of those already offered through the UK’s National Health Service.
Their latest is a cardiovascular self-test that that can remotely transfer results via a Bluetooth mobile app, secure web portal, or automated telephone call. According to a statement, the service is now available to as many as 200 patients with atrial fibrillation living in North Manchester, England, and is being delivered by staff of the Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.
“Our technology allows people with long-term heart conditions to stay on top of their health without the hassle of inconvenient and time-consuming hospital or clinic appointments,” Bryn Sage, CEO at Inhealthcare, said in a statement. “This is exactly the sort of service that can reduce pressure on busy NHS clinics and allow staff to spend more time with patients who need care the most.”
Patients using Inhealthcare’s service are provided with a Roche CoaguChek, a handheld device capable of testing their blood’s international normalized ratio (INR). Patients sending their results to clinics for analysis using the My Inhealthcare app or by another means are given a series of standard health questions, allowing clinicians to ensure correct dosage delivery.
“The new system gives patients the freedom from attending a clinic appointment every four weeks on average and the ability to test their INR at their convenience,” Betty Brough, lead anticoagulant nurse specialist at Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said in a statement. “It is proving very popular and within the next six months we hope to have enrolled 200 patients onto the scheme.”
Inhealthcare has implemented similar services across other jurisdictions of the UK, and within the past year has enabled 78,000 digital consultations. The company, which was founded in 2012, has had a number of contracts with the NIH concerning the provision of remote care devices. Among these are platforms for back pain management, diabetes management, data capture and aggregation, and other chronic conditions. In July, Inhealthcare even launched a toolkit to assist others developing digital health interventions and getting them into the NHS’ system.
