Airedale NHS Foundation Trust has launched an app to provide patients and healthcare staff with additional information and guidance around blood transfusion procedures and appointments.
Co-created with the help of patients, the My Transfusion app covers key information on blood transfusions, other options available, consent and preparing for transfusions, when to seek medical help following a transfusion and the safety checks required.
It’s free to download through the App Store and Google Play, with patients, carers and their families “or anyone who may need a blood transfusion as part of their care” encouraged to add the app to their smartphone. The trust notes that My Transfusion “may also be a useful source of information for healthcare staff involved in the transfusion consent and decision-making process”.
The launch follows another app recently introduced by the trust, for the roll-out of the Careology cancer app earlier in the year. The app is being used within the trust to provide 24/7 support to cancer patients and help to understand their needs. Patients can access guidance and advice, receive reminders for medications and appointments and also find information on side effects and symptoms.
App development in health and care: the wider trend
University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust has developed a radiography app to provide students and apprentices with access to a range of clinical learning resources through their mobile phones. Through the app, learners can access key documents, videos, presentations, workbooks and quizzes designed to “support the development of clinical skills”. According to the trust, Birmingham City University and Sheffield Hallam University students are already using the app to aid them in their learning.
Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust has been piloting the digital wound app, Minuteful for Wound by Healthy.io, with an aim to improve care for local people across the region and follow best practice outlined in the national wound care strategy programme. The app was introduced to Neston Care Community Team, Neston Dressing Clinic, Central Dressing Clinic and the Tissue Viability Service as part of a 12-month pilot testing the capabilities of the app in clinic and community settings, including in the homes of patients.
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, in partnership with University College London recently launched the MENO.pause app to support clinicians with decision-making and managing menopause symptoms. Clinicians answer a series of questions around a patient’s symptoms, medical history and genetic variations, with the app providing different options for helping the patient based on “menopause management guidelines”.
