Here for HTN’s latest news in brief, we take a look at some of the latest news around digital and data from across the health service.
University Hospitals Dorset collaborates on portable diagnostic device for skin cancer
A collaboration between University Hospitals Dorset and Bournemouth University is aiming to identify volatile organic compounds (VOCs) specific to skin cancers, and develop a device capable of detecting them.
Following a pilot study which developed a “custom extraction device” to capture VOCs released from skin cancer sites, the three-year clinical study will take place at Poole Hospital.
Richard Paul, professor of bioanalytical chemistry at Bournemouth University, said the development of a rapid sensor “deployable in a point of care device” is “an exciting prospect”. He went on: “This would enable rapid detection of skin cancer in primary care, enhancing patient triage and improving patient outcomes.”
Robotics for “smart biopsies” at The Royal Marsden NHS FT
Researchers from The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust have been working to understand how the use of robotic guidance can help take multiple biopsies across different parts of a single tumour, with biopsies “analysed whilst still in the human body”.
Funded by The Royal College of Radiologists and The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, the study saw patients with suspected retroperitoneal and pelvic sarcomas (RPS) undergoing an MRI around a week prior to the biopsies, to allow results to be compared to the biopsy analysis.
By testing three target regions from the same tumour, clinicians reportedly saw “a more comprehensive and accurate representation of tumour biology compared to conventional single-site biopsy”. According to Edward Johnston, chief investigator and academic consultant in oncological interventional radiology, “knowing this before treating a patient will help us to make clearer, more informed decisions about patient care”.
It is hoped that the study will offer a more detailed understanding of how tumours appear on imaging, in turn opening up the potential to develop an AI algorithm able to classify tumours and predict tumour growth.
Initiative launched to tackle digital exclusion amongst pregnant women at West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals
An initiative has been launched at West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust to help tackle digital exclusion amongst pregnant women, offering free data and SIM cards to those without digital devices.
Launched in partnership with the Good Things Foundation, a digital inclusion charity, the initiative means that maternity services can register to become “maternity digital hubs”, offering digital resources and free data to women from early-stage pregnancy through to the postnatal period.
Penny Snowden, director of midwifery, said: “By providing free data and SIM cards, we are breaking down barriers and ensuring that digital technology enhances, rather than hinders, access to essential health information and support.”
New database hoped to improve outcomes for children with traumatic brain injuries
A study conducted across ten paediatric intensive care units over five years has helped create a new research database containing insights into “critical thresholds” of pressure reactivity index (PRx) to develop understandings of paediatric traumatic brain injuries.
The development of the STARSHIP (Status of Cerebrovascular AutoRegulation relates to outcome in Severe Paediatric Head Injury) database was funded by Action Medical Research for Children and Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust, and is hoped to help improve outcomes and foster continued research into traumatic brain injury.
Contributions to the project were made by departments across the University of Cambridge; Cambridge and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust; Birmingham Children’s Hospital; Great Ormond Street Hospital; Leeds Children’s Hospital; Manchester Children’s Hospital; Nottingham Children’s Hospital; Oxford University Hospitals; Royal London Hospital; Sheffield Children’s Hospital and Southampton Children’s Hospital.
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire launches patient portal
A patient portal has been launched at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, allowing patients to access information about their health, view upcoming appointments and clinical letters, and browse blood test results.
The myhealth Coventry and Warwickshire patient portal can be accessed from a mobile phone, laptop, or tablet, with patients making an outpatient appointment sent a text message containing a link to sign up. The trust has also developed an information page on its website, which offers more information, and a video demonstrating the registration process to help support patients.
UHCW has stated that further functionality is expected to be introduced over the coming months, including the ability to cancel, reschedule, or request appointments “for select services”.
New imaging scanner offers more detailed scans at York Hospital
A new SPECT-CT scanner has been installed at York Hospital, reportedly offering “faster, more accurate, and more detailed” scans for patients in the region.
By combining two types of scans, the scanner is hoped to enable earlier and more precise diagnosis, primarily in oncology imaging and functional brain assessments. York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust shares that this could mean an increase in the department’s patient capacity by “up to a third”.
Sarah Burn, principal radiographer at York Hospital, said that the hospital’s previous scanner was “almost 20 years old”, and that access to this latest technology “will allow us to see more patients and provide the modern molecular imaging service our patients deserve”.
100,000 defibrillators now connected to British Heart Foundation network
100,000 defibrillators have now been registered to a network run by the British Heart Foundation, which aims to provide information to citizens on the nearest devices in case of cardiac arrest.
The Circuit offers information on defibrillators at locations including schools, supermarkets, gyms, and more, meaning when someone calls 999 for a cardiac arrest, the ambulance service can direct them to the nearest option.
Warren Bostock, community defibrillation officer at the Yorkshire Ambulance Service, said: “The Circuit has not only simplified the process for registering defibrillators but also sends maintenance reminders to those who look after the devices as well as a notification when one has been used so it can be checked and made available for the next emergency.”
