EVERGREEN LIFE BUILDS HEAT MAP SHOWING INCIDENCES OF COVID-19 IN UK

Healthcare app Evergreen Life is compiling a heat map that exposes trends in local behaviour during the coronavirus pandemic. The map outlines whether users are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and if they are abiding by government advice to stay at home (excluding key workers). So far, it has collected more than 50,000 responses from app users and has highlighted discrepancies between boroughs. For instance, on 8 April, Enfield showed both a high percentage of those not staying at home (19%) and also of those with symptoms in their household (18%); this can be compared with Derbyshire Dales, where 96% of households show no symptoms of coronavirus and 94% are staying in their homes.

Evergreen Life CEO Stephen Critchlow says: “We’ve asked our 750,000 users to help build a heat map of those with symptoms of COVID-19 to help the NHS and researchers better understand how the virus is moving and spreading around the UK. "

REPORTS OF AI OUTPERFORMING HUMANS UNSUPPORTED BY DATA, FINDS CERA

UK-based tech-enabled home care provider Cera has concluded research into the performance of AI and Deep Learning technologies in comparison with human clinicians. The report, published in the BMJ and conducted with academics and medical professionals, examined 200,000 studies and found little substantial evidence to support claims that AI could outperform human medical care. It also identified high risk of bias in two thirds of studies and underlined the need for more rigourous methodologies so as not endanger the lives of patients.

Co-founder and CEO of Cera Care, Dr Ben Maruthappu, says: “Whilst we are fully cognisant of AI’s immense potential in the long-term, and supportive of continued investment and research into this field, we are also concerned about increasingly common misconceptions about it’s applicability in the near-term. Assumptions that AI can perform as well, or better, than human clinicians simply aren’t supported by the data in most cases, and we risk mistreating patients through overreliance on such technologies.”

INHEALTHCARE LAUNCHES REMOTE MONITORING SYSTEM FOR PALLIATIVE NURSES

UK digital care company Inhealthcare has partnered with Weldmar Hospicecare to create ‘Weldmar Connect’, a remote care-monitoring service that allows patients more independence and reduces unnecessary travel for community nurses. The service presents patients with a daily questionnaire about their symptoms and mobility, which is fed back to community nurses so they can prioritise their workload. The app also includes useful information like breathing exercise and emergency contact information.

Emma Randall, community nurse at Weldmar Hospicecare, said: “Weldmar Connect is not about replacing phone calls or visits but is empowering for patients and allows them a platform to record their symptoms. It has been incredibly useful during COVID-19 to keep that rapport with patients and helps them feel supported in these very challenging times.”

SERVELEC LAUNCH UK MENTAL HEALTHCARE APP TO EASE COVID-19 PRESSURE

Digital care provider Servelec has released The Mood Diary app with Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust which allows mental health patients to record the course of their mood whilst providing them with access to their agreed safety plan, planned crisis provision and interventions and their emergency contacts. All activity on the app is also accessible to clinicians as it is integrated into the patient’s profile on the Servelec Rio EPR system, helping them monitor patients remotely. Although initially launched in November 2019, the app is now being used to alleviate the pressures on the healthcare service whilst continuing crucial patient care during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Steve Wightman from Servelec said: “Through [The Mood Diary] app we’re helping patients suffering with mental health conditions to have increased ownership of their own care by making it easier for them to record their mood and tell their clinician exactly what is happening and what interventions they have tried.”

UK STARTUPS ASSIST NHS IN QUICK REDEPLOYMENT OF DOCTORS

Patchwork.Health and Truu ID have joined forces to ease the transition of doctors into the NHS workforce during the COVID-19 outbreak. The initiative will utilise the startups shared resources to accelerate the process with which NHS trusts can identify temporary staff with the relevant skill sets and have them verified and ready to work promptly.

Patchwork.Health offers a pool of qualified clinicians and support staff who, once selected, will have their credentials instantly validated by Truu, saving days if not weeks of manual administration. The solution is being offered for free to all interested NHS trusts throughout the pandemic.

CEO and Founder of Patchwork.Health, Dr Anas Nader, said: “As a doctor, I understand the logistical complexities which can sometimes delay trained professionals from delivering life-saving care, and I believe that Patchwork.Health and Truu can together provide a solution for the NHS to enable rapid redeployment of clinicians to where the need is greatest.”

HEALTHCARE COMMUNICATIONS OFFERS E-CLINIC SOFTWARE FREE FOR A YEAR

Digital patient communications supplier Healthcare Communications has announced that, prompted by the coronavirus crisis, they will be offering their eClinic video consultation platform for free to medical professionals worldwide for one year. The system enables remote patient–clinician consultations, which allow everyday healthcare to continue for those who are self-isolating. It also supports clinicians to consult with one another and exchange medical opinion.

Kenny Bloxham of Healthcare Communications said: “The solution is clinician led, so patients don’t spend lengthy periods in ‘virtual’ waiting rooms and clinicians can immediately connect with their patient. It can be rolled-out at scale across hospitals and GPs within days and is a sustainable way to redesign the patient pathway for the future.”

COVID-19 SYMPTOM TRACKER PREDICTS 1.9M CASES IN UK

The COVID-19 Symptom Tracker app developed by ZOE and King’s College London (KCL) has indicated that around 1.9 million people between the ages of 20 and 69 in the UK are symptomatic of the virus. The data, which is being stored and analysed by respiratory health data hub BREATHE in collaboration with KCL and ZOE research teams, is being linked to NHS decision-makers and used to create a clear picture of the progression and local trends of the infection.

Lead researcher from King’s College London, Professor Tim Spector, says: “Accurate real-time data is essential if we are to beat this disease. […] With so many across the country potentially infectious we have to rethink our policy of testing everyone and come up with other methods to rapidly understand the state of every part of our country.”