Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s heart failure virtual ward has introduced use of the remote monitoring KiActiv digital service with the aim of improving recovery rates for patients experiencing serious cardiac conditions.
KiActiv combines an online platform with a wearable device that collects personalised data about the user’s everyday physical activity, utilising the information to help them learn how to optimise their daily movement, build a programme suitable for the individual, and increase fitness levels with one-to-one mentor support.
Clinicians discuss KiActiv with patients as they are discharged and offer it to them if they continue to stabilise, with over 100 people enrolled in the first two months.
Dr Rajiv Sankaranarayanan, consultant cardiologist at the trust and heart failure lead for Cheshire and Merseyside, comments that cardiac rehab uptake tends to be low as “patients who suffer from heart conditions are very unwell”, but credits the service’s lifestyle-based programme with encouraging sign-up “as they are coached to make small lifestyle changes rather than taking too much of a leap into exercise”.
Liverpool in the spotlight
Earlier in the year, we highlighted how Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust achieved HIMSS EMRAM Stage 7 following an on-site assessment which saw HIMSS inspectors observing as clinical staff used the trust’s EPR and electronic data and analytics functions to demonstrate the embedded use of digital throughout clinical practice.
In the summer HTN interviewed Kate Warriner to hear insights on current projects and digital priorities across Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital as well as Alder Hey Children’s NHS Trust, with focus on the digital, data and technology workforce, patient engagement and data use.
From Liverpool University Hospitals in particular, we also reported on the appointment of a joint chief digital officer role with Liverpool Women’s, which saw Liverpool Women’s chief information officer Matt Connor take up the post earlier this year.
Also on remote monitoring
We previously highlighted a research study exploring the impact of remote monitoring on patients who had recently experienced a heart attack, which reportedly 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”.
And we noted plans from a research team at the University of Manchester to trial a system designed to support patients living with rheumatoid arthritis to send daily symptoms to their health record.
