University Hospitals Plymouth has signed a contract with Kent-based SME, QuestPrehab, for year-long trial of digital prehabilitation (prehab) services for patients on the liver transplant list across Devon, Cornwall, and Somerset.
Patients participating in the trial will have the ability to access an individualised programme spanning physical activity support, anxiety management, diet advice and lifestyle modifications through the QuestPrehab app, including remote exercise classes and support sessions delivered by telephone or video conferencing.
The trial aims to demonstrate feasibility of remote delivery of rehab and potential benefits including reduction in anxiety and improvements in liver frailty scores, as well as demonstrating how the “usually long” waiting time can be “utilised in a positive and clinically effective manner”.
Professor Matthew Cramp, consultant hepatologist at University Hospitals Plymouth, shared hopes that the “consistency of supervision by a prehab specialist” will help “lead to a lower risk of complications post-transplant and improve quality of life both pre and post-operatively”.
Remote monitoring tech: the wider trend
We recently shared a study from Hammersmith Hospital exploring the impact of remote monitoring on patients who had recently experienced a heart attack, which found that “telemedicine patients were 76 percent less likely to be readmitted to hospital within six months and 41 percent less likely to attend A&E, compared to those who followed normal care pathways”.
Research is also underway at the University of Manchester to test a system designed to support patients living with rheumatoid arthritis, which can send daily symptoms to their health record. The Remote Monitoring of Rheumatoid Arthritis (REMORA) system enables users to download a symptom tracking app to their smartphone or tablet which they can log into using their NHS details.
In spring, HTN hosted a panel discussion on how to confidently deliver remote care at scale in which panellists discussed their insight and experience on virtual wards and remote monitoring, along with the common challenges faced in this space and how to tackle them.
Earlier in the year, we examined a study from the British Journal of General Practice which explored the training needs for staff providing remote services in general practice.
Spotlight on Plymouth
In March this year, we shared that University Plymouth Hospitals announced the selection of supplier for the trust’s new EPR, subject to approval of the full business case.
And the wider ICS – Devon – was included in HTN’s feature series exploring the 2024 landscape of digital health and data across the ICS regions; click here for insight into digital strategies, stats, representation and more.
