Trail for iPad health tracker
Patients at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH) in London are trailing a revolutionary new health tracker; an iPad-based system that tracks the recovery of spinal surgery patients.
The HealthUnlocked Tracker is the UKs first online health tracker and allows patients to record their recovery after undergoing spinal surgery online.
The information is then monitored by clinicians so they can assess the effectiveness of their patients’ treatment and determine the benefits of different types of operations.
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The iPad system can be used on hospital premises and the patients can also use it once they’ve been discharged to track their recovery from home.
Trials of the HealthUnlocked Tracker were launched yesterday, and UK Health Secretary Andrew Lansley, who was present at the launch, said: “This is a great example of how healthcare innovation can make a real difference to patients’ lives.”
“We want to modernise the NHS because we believe that patients deserve the best and most innovative treatments available.”
He added: “We are committed to creating an environment in the NHS where new medical technologies like this can flourish.”
The hospital said they are hoping the new app will help to create 300 extra outpatient appointments per surgeon every year.
Ninety five percent of patients said they liked the new iPad app and that they preferred it to a traditional pen and paper method of documenting their recoveries.
HealthUnlocked, a company specialising in online health services, developed the app with financial support from Spire Healthcare, Baxter Healthcare, K2M, Synthes and kspine.
A version that is compatible with BlackBerry’s and Android smartphones and other mobile devices is currently under development.
Matthew Shaw is a consultant spinal surgeon at the RNOH and is the lead surgeon in the trial. He said: “Having accurate information at my fingertips about my patients’ recovery is groundbreaking.”
“It ensures that I can quickly get to grips with their perspective and provide them with first-rate healthcare; as well as saving me time it will also create new insights about spinal surgery for the NHS as a whole.”
He added: “Some patients with very rapid recoveries require less intensive follow-up than those with slower or more problematic recoveries. This gives me more flexibility to assess this in advance, and better tailor my time to my patients’ needs.”
