Digital Health bits | June 28th 2021
Note: Opinions expressed are solely my own and do not express the views or opinions of my employer
#DigitalHealth #Innovation #AI #DigitalTherapeutics #TeleHealth #TeleMedicine
Livi becomes first online GP provider rated ‘outstanding’ by CQC
In 2020, just 5% of GP practices were awarded the ‘outstanding’ label and only one other digital healthcare provider has previously been given an overall rating of ‘outstanding’ – paediatric service The Children’s e-Hospital.
Livi enables patients to see their GPs and other healthcare professionals via video using their smartphone or tablet. The technology also provides patient management to more than 4,000 GP practices. The service is available for both NHS patients and self-funded patients within the UK, as well as to clients of a health insurance company.
Following a comprehensive inspection Livi was awarded an ‘outstanding’ rating in two out of five categories:
The service received a ‘good’ rating for:
In the CQC report, Livi’s response to the Covid pandemic was praised by the independent regulator of health and social care services.
Video-Led engagement is the backbone of Telemedicine
Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, medical systems and healthcare providers were faced with unforeseen challenges as they adjusted to remote working situations to function effectively amid social distancing and self-isolating norms.
Telemedicine helps healthcare providers tend to patients remotely—that is, diagnose, monitor, treat, consult and advise—using telecommunications technology, when both parties are not physically present together. Using modern technology and tools, including video-conferencing, telemedicine has allowed for efficient distribution of healthcare services via electronic information and telecommunication.
There was an almost overnight shift to telemedicine services during the pandemic and the industry has grown with a CAGR of over 37 percent this year, and has an expected market value of over 170 billion by 2026.
Crisis always presents opportunities for innovation and reinvention. Telemedicine too has a huge opportunity for patient care to reimagine itself. It is time to step up to the challenge.
Cancer patients use smartphones to provide feedback on their care experience
Princess Alexandra Hospital (PAH) and digital health company The Clinician, have successfully completed an Australian Digital Health Agency pilot project that enabled cancer patients to use their smartphones to provide feedback on the quality of care they received.
Acting Executive Director of Nursing at PAH, Leanne Stone, said this was an important project for the hospital as a cancer diagnosis was confronting enough for the patient, who are often inundated with multiple forms and documents both prior to and during their treatment.
“As clinicians, we can be focused on treating the symptoms that our patients are facing and this project has reinforced the importance for us of also focusing on our patients ‘ experiences when being cared for, which in turn can lead to better quality care, improved health outcomes and more accessible and effective health services,” Ms Stone said.
Amanda Cattermole, CEO of the Australian Digital Health Agency, said “PAH in partnership with The Clinician were funded by the Australian Digital Health Agency to develop a digital solution to improve the patient experience and the quality of patient-sourced health data for their healthcare providers.”
“This project is one of a series of digital health initiatives the Agency has supported to foster emerging technologies and the use of data in patient care.”
Covid-19 pandemic leads to 80% drop in routine cancer screening, limits research
The coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns have impacted not only cancer care but also the research in the field. The uncertainty has introduced new risks for cancer patients, disrupting the delivery of cancer treatment and the continuity of research.
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“Many elective surgeries were cancelled to redirect resources and healthcare staff to manage the pandemic. But at the same time, it has revolutionised clinical care by the introduction of telemedicine, artificial intelligence and digital healthcare services. It was the need of the hour to shift to the digital medium so that continuous healthcare services could be provided to the needy patients and curtail the spread of the virus so that patients can avail the services within the comfort of their houses,” said Dr(Col) R Ranga Rao, chairman- Paras Cancer Center, Paras Hospitals, Gurugram.
The pandemic led to a challenging and unprecedented situation for those who did not know that they were battling cancer. “Various studies have suggested that the pandemic led to a roughly 80 per cent drop in routine screening appointments that could diagnose new cancers in March and April. Since cancer screening can’t happen virtually, cases of breast, colon and cervical cancer also increased. Most of the screenings require an in-person procedure like a colonoscopy (for colon cancer), mammogram (for breast cancer) or a pap smear (for cervical cancer),” he added.
The Power and Promise of Decentralized Trials
The recent COVID-19 pandemic is one of most disruptive events in recent history, affecting nearly every aspect of everyday life. Clinical trials, the lifesaving research urgently needed to combat the virus faced serious impediment due to the nature of the crisis.
The effect of COVID-19 has been enormous, with thousands of trials—around 80% of non-COVID-19 trials—being stopped or interrupted, according to Michael Lauer, deputy director for extramural research at the US National Institutes of Health. In addition, many high-risk and elderly groups stopped participation in clinical trials. In response, clinical researchers turned to a range of digital solutions to address the effects of the pandemic on trials. This in turn, accelerated the adoption of decentralized trials, including the digital health technologies such as wearables and other devices.
The World Health Organization (WHO) conducted one of the largest decentralized trials (DCT) to combat the largest pandemic in recent history to generate sufficient evidence of the efficacy and safety of potential treatments. The WHO’s Solidarity trial enrolled over 12,000 patients, involved over 2,100 investigators, and activated 553 sites across 30 countries. The trial has eliminated several investigative therapies, allowing for new contenders to be added.
Spectrum.Life raises €3m in fresh funding to aid growth
Corporate online mental health support and well-being platform, Spectrum.Life, has raised €3m in fresh funding in a round led by Act Venture Capital.
The money will be used to fund its rapid growth, driven by a significant increase in demand from employers, insurance companies and universities this year.
"We were incredibly nimble over the course of the pandemic as the demand from employers in particular increased, as they knew this was a challenging time for their teams," said Stephen Costello, CEO and Co-Founder of Spectrum.Life.
"With this investment, we'll be able to take our virtual counselling and coaching products to the next level, through the use of AI and machine learning – giving our coaches and clients all the tools they need to succeed in their goals."
Spectrum.Life now plans to triple its research and development team to develop additional services to support its growth.
It will also continue its expansion into the UK market and is also looking at other international markets in Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
The company has 150 clients in the UK since it entered the market there 18 months ago, with 175,000 users.
Overall the platform is used by 1,250 customers and supports the mental health and well-being needs of more than 750,000 people.
Virtual nudges help expectant mothers with safe pregnancy, study
Personalised virtual coaching can help expecting mothers to improve their lifestyle behaviours and thereby, navigate difficult pregnancy. According to a recent study, women had either experienced difficulties in conceiving or recurrent miscarriages showed remarkable improvement after going through online lifestyle coaching programme Smarter Pregnancy.
Led by the University of Southampton, the study published in the journal Reproductive Biomedicine Online, show that digital healthcare could be a cost-effective way to deliver tailored advice to women who experience difficulties in pregnancy, which the government healthcare service does not have the resources to provide. The biggest reduction in behaviours that pose risks to pregnancy was seen in overweight women.
About 262 women were enrolled for the study, where they completed questionnaires through the progamme's app at the beginning and at six-week intervals over the four-month trial. The questionnaires covered subjects such as their diet, folic acid intake, smoking and consumption of alcohol.
Note: Opinions expressed are solely my own and do not express the views or opinions of my employer