New avatar app to help patients with long term conditions
This app helps people be in control of managing their condition. It’s an exciting development...
Stoke-on-Trent Clinical Commissioning Group and the School of Pharmacy at Keele University have developed an application to support patients in managing long term conditions.
Using computer generated characters, interactive quizzes and information resources; the app updates with content designed to help patients with asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and diabetes, with additional conditions to follow.
The School of Pharmacy developed the app using its avatars for patient information. This has been developed with clinical leads from Stoke-on-Trent CCG and UHNM and co-funded from WM Academic Health Science Network and Stoke-on-Trent CCG.
The app can be used on android or apple devices, to answer commonly asked questions set by patients and answered by their clinical group. It uses computer-generated characters to demonstrate key points to help manage your condition, such as effective inhaler technique.
Initial use has received positive feedback and now the developers are seeking more users of the app who can help with their research and further development
Professionals have warmly praised the app with one saying it could be a potential lifesaver.
Sarah McNally, Lead Nurse for Respiratory Medicine from Wolverhampton Road Surgery, Stafford, said about the asthma version of the app: “The app has excellent content, is quick to download and ensures patients have their asthma management plans with them all the time rather than the back of a drawer. Inhaler technique is key to managing asthma and the Avatar demonstrates this perfectly. This app could help prevent hospital admissions and deaths.”
Dr Ruth Chambers, OBE, GP and Clinical Telehealth Lead, NHS Stoke-on-Trent Clinical Commissioning Group and new chair of the Stoke-on-Trent CCG, said: “To meet the challenges the NHS faces in the next few years and to make sure we are delivering person centred care, we need to look at developing technology such as this app. This app helps people be in control of managing their condition. It’s an exciting development.”
Luke Bracegirdle, Head of Digital & Business Analytics at Keele University, said" "If you are interested is being part of our research, we are looking for patients with long-term conditions to use the new app (both children and adults) and complete a pre and post questionnaire on their experience."
Please contact Luke Bracegirdle, Head of Digital & Business Analytics at Keele University, (l.bracegirdle@keele.ac.uk) for further information.
Link to the website (which has links on where to download the app from) here: http://www.digitalhealthsot.nhs.uk/index.php/news/75-manage-your-health-app-developed-for-long-term-conditions