This week, CW Innovation has launched the trial of a new remote care tool known as FibriCheck, which enables stroke patients to test themselves at home for atrial fibrillation [AF].
In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, CW Innovation - a flagship programme run by charity CW+ in partnership with the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust - has co-designed and scaled a number of remote models of care for a range of patients, including those living with diabetes, HIV, skin conditions and Long Covid.
The latest remote care tool being trialled by the project, the FibriCheck app, enables stroke patients to test themselves at home for atrial fibrillation [AF], a common heart condition that causes irregular heart rhythm and can lead to an increased risk of stroke.
AF is responsible for a quarter of all strokes, according to the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. However, it can be intermittent and those with AF do not necessarily display symptoms, making it difficult to detect.
This is where the FibriCheck app comes in, enabling patients to test their heart rate and rhythm to detect AF. Patients simply place their finger over the camera lens of their smartphone for one minute, and the app measures their pulse pressure signals.
In instances where AF is identified, patients will be called in for formal diagnosis and treatment.
The trial phase of the new app is part of the Trust’s expanding remote monitoring portfolio, which gives clinicians the ability to care for patients anywhere without them having to go to hospital. The CW Innovation programme, which launched in 2019, has allowed the new project to be introduced at pace and identify, test and evaluate new solutions to improve patient care and outcomes, as well as how the Trust’s hospitals are run.
Dr Sadia Khan, a Consultant Cardiologist at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, commented: “We have been working on remote monitoring solutions and how we provide health care differently for some years; however, the Covid-19 pandemic has seen us accelerate at pace, using technology to not only improve the care we provide but to really improve the experience of that care for patients and staff.
“We are delighted to be able to trial FibriCheck at the Trust, to monitor stroke patients remotely without the need to come into our hospitals. FibriCheck is quick, reliable and easy to use, and the diagnostics will provide vital information so we can detect AF earlier in people who have had a recent stroke and undertake the next steps in clinical care to reduce the risk of further strokes. I’m confident the app will be a game changer in the way we manage patient care in the stroke service”.
FibriCheck co-founder and CEO, Lars Grieten, added: “This app is a powerful remote monitoring tool to improve AF detection rates and patient outcomes, safely and efficiently.
“We are pleased to be working with the cardiology specialists at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to help improve the quality of life and outcomes for patients with long-term conditions.”
Photo by Alexander Sinn on Unsplash
