As ever, there’s plenty happening across the health tech community – read on to find some of the top stories that have caught our eye over the last few days.
Croydon Health Services seek patient feedback to improve Digital Maternity Strategy
Croydon Health Services NHS Trust is in the process of writing a digital maternity strategy to “bring about significant changes to how women use our service”. They are looking for patient opinions to help shape the strategy.
The survey explores various topics relating to digital health, including digital inclusion (such as whether the patient has access to a device which they could use to access their digital maternity record and if the access is private) and opinions around online access to records (such as whether they would like the access and how they would prefer to receive it).
It asks what function patients would like their digital maternity record to service, with options including providing access to previous as well as current pregnancies, allowing patients to enter their own information into the record, and the ability to chat online with midwives for support and guidance.
The survey is for people who have used maternity services in South West London and can be found here.
The Health Foundation shares analysis of ICS public data
The Health Foundation has published ‘Integrated care systems: what do they look like?’ by authors Phoebe Dunn, Caroline Fraser, Skeena Williamson and Hugh Alderwick. The article uses publicly available data on the “characteristics and context” of ICSs, including organisational and policy context, health challenges and capacity within the health care system to address those challenges.
Key points raised include main challenges such as staffing shortages in the NHS and health inequalities among patients. The article notes that ICSs in different areas face different tasks, with “pressures on services and the health of the population [varying] widely between ICSs” along with “the resources available to address them”.
In addition, the article highlights how ICSs “look very different in their size, complexity and other characteristics that will shape how they function and their ability to collaborate to improve services”.
The article can be read in full here.
NHS rolls out glucose monitors for Type 1 diabetes patients
NHS England has agreed a deal with Dexcom to provide all patients with Type 1 diabetes with continuous glucose monitors.
The wearable technology helps patients keep track of their glucose levels at all times without the need for a scan or finger prick test. The Dexcom ONE Real Time-Continuous Glucose Monitoring technology uses a small sensor, described as “no bigger than a bottle cap”, to attach to the patient’s arm for up to ten days, measuring glucose levels from under the skin.
NHS England say that recent data has shown that nearly three-fifths of people with Type 1 diabetes are already accessing monitoring technology, setting the NHS ahead of its initial Long Term Plan target to ensure that 20% of patients benefitted from the tech.
Dr Partha Kar, National Speciality Advisor for Diabetes and Obesity, commented: “This is a huge step forward for Type 1 diabetes care and these monitors will be life-changing for anyone with the illness – giving them more choice to manage their condition in the most convenient way possible – as well as the best chance at living healthier lives, reducing their risk of hospitalisation and illnesses associated with diabetes, which in turn reduces pressure on wider NHS services.
“The new deal also delivers on our commitment to get patients the latest cutting-edge medical technology at the best value for taxpayer money – saving the NHS millions over the coming years”.
East Kent Hospitals launches virtual clinic for pain management
Patients using an Abbott spinal cord stimulator to manage chronic pain can now have their devices adjusted by clinicians remotely.
A secure video chat feature in a dedicated app is utilised to connect their patient to their medical team, allowing the team to adjust the settings of the device without a need for the patient to attend the hospital in person.
Tina Elliot, a specialist pain nurse, said: “Being able to offer remote reprogramming of these devices really is a game-changer for our patients. It means they can avoid unnecessary trips to hospital but still allows us to make sure their spinal cord stimulators are providing the most effective relief and are adjusted to their needs.”
Patient Tracey Duffy had a spinal cord stimulator fitted in September last year after she was diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome.
“Sometimes a re-programming appointment could take out a whole day, with the travel time and waiting, and then recovering from the impact of that when you are living with chronic pain,” said Tracey. “But now I can do it all while I’m sitting at home, which is amazing. It couldn’t be easier to use – I just have to push a button to connect and then let the team work their magic.”
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust invests in AI-assisted CT scanners
The new AI-assisted CT scanners in use at Nottingham’s City Hospital have been developed specifically for advanced radiation oncology, and have been introduced to enhance the standard of cancer care for the local population.
The Aquilion Exceed LB CT, from Canon Medical Systems UK, uses Canon’s Medical’s Advanced intelligent Clear-IQ Engine (AiCE) to deliver “high quality images with minimal noise, high definition, sharpness and clarity for excellent delineation of tumour.”
In addition, the technology features Single Energy Metal Artifact Reduction (SEMAR), a software that works to reduce interference and artifacts from metal implants to improve visualisation of soft tissue and bone in target areas.
Lee Beresford, Radiotherapy Service Manager at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, commented: “Our radiation therapy planning role will be buoyed by the new Aquilion Exceed LB CT as it will help us deliver more efficient and accurate insights for greater clinical confidence and, hopefully, improve survival rates. We have already seen improvements in radiotherapy scanning efficiency since the new Aquilion Exceed LB CT scanner went live and this has enabled our team to have some extra capacity to increase the quality of time spent with patients.”
Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust implements new digital system for colposcopy services
A new digital system at The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust has been implemented to support the delivery of colposcopy services, providing improvements to key processes and patient care.
The system is said to reduce the time that staff are required to spend on administrative tasks by interfacing with digital clinical systems. “The digital recording of examinations and images provides instant access for review,” the trust says, “and removes the demanding and time-consuming process of producing paper-based examination notes.”
It produces “failsafe lists” to help identify key milestones and pressure points within the service, with the trust noting that this can reduce potential delays to treatment and shorten waiting lists.
The system’s implementation is the result of collaboration between various teams at the trust, including the colposcopy clinical team, digital services, medical physics and procurement, along with supplier Irisoft.
