The National Institute for Health and Care Research has awarded a £700,000 research grant to a study seeking to explore the potential of digital health interventions in improving recovery and quality of life for patients following elective surgery.
The funded study will be a three-year randomised controlled trial designed to “rigorously assess” the efficacy of Surgery Hero, a digital surgery clinic combining research, tech, and health coaching to help people recover from surgery in their home.
Specifically aiming to assess Surgery Hero’s effectiveness as a digital intervention for patients undergoing elective hip or knee replacements, the study will look at long-term functional outcomes post-surgery, combining guidance, personalised health coaching, and a range digital resources to enhance patient outcomes and overall experience.
Findings are expected around Q3 of 2027, with Surgery Hero Matthew Beatty stating that the study represents a “critical step” for assessing the intervention’s clinical benefits.
Spotlight on tech and data in improving patient outcomes
HTN has covered a number of stories relating to the use of digital tech and data in improving patient outcomes over the last few months. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights.
The pilot of a recovery support app at Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust reportedly led to a 15 percent reduction in the number of post-op follow-up calls and a 10 percent decrease in the number of readmissions for complications, with the trust sharing hopes that use of the app can be expanded across departments.
Last month, NHS England and Prostate Cancer Research announced the launch of a collaborative research initiative called Prostate Progress which will see the NHS Research Secure Data Environment linking pseudonymised clinical data with patient-reported outcomes, enabling researchers to access “rich, integrated datasets” about prostate cancer care and experiences.
And in Wales, earlier this year Promptly Health secured an £11 million three-year contract to manage national patient-centred outcomes data for NHS Wales, following a procurement process which focused on assessment of capabilities around patient accessibility, innovativeness, data security and interoperability.
Insights on patient outcomes from healthcare leaders
In February, our HTN Now panel discussion on driving patient outcomes through health tech highlighted some great work and ongoing projects from across the NHS, including in remote care, patient engagement, and reducing unplanned care admissions. Panellists also considered key challenges, such as managing digital exclusion, funding, and patient expectations.
Insight from elsewhere was also forthcoming in HTN International’s interview with Ryl Jensen, CEO of the Digital Health Association (DHA), the peak advocacy body for the digital health sector in New Zealand. Ryl noted that “there’s a lot of desire to see digital make a palpable difference to health outcomes” in NZ, adding that “data and digital are foundational and essential to the improvement of health outcomes of New Zealanders…no longer just an enabler but fundamental to operations”.
