The use of digital technologies has been normalised in so many aspects of our life – banking, travel, shopping, exercise – but for health, and certainly within the NHS, the evolution has been a lot slower. Whilst we’ve seen greater use of health tech to support diagnostics, and the introduction of ‘virtual wards’ to treat more people away from a clinical setting, there’s still a long way to go to fully embrace its potential for virtual prehab / rehab. Yet it offers the potential to make better use of clinicians’ time, accelerate treatment plans, make more informed decisions quicker and ultimately help more patients.
Dr Henry Goodfellow, Chief Medical Officer at Living With explains “If a patient is referred to a specialist and the waiting time is 3-6 months, that time can be put to good use. Depending on the condition the Living With app can be used to start gathering information and sharing practical advice for effective self-management.”
It makes sense that if a patient arrives at the initial consultation having tried some exercises, made some modifications to diet / exercise, kept diaries and already ruled in or out the effectiveness of certain treatment paths, the face-to-face time can be spent in a more focussed and productive way – benefiting the clinician and patient.
Dr Goodfellow wants to make clear that the use of Living With’s platform and app is all about improving patient experience. “It’s not about AI interpreting answers and churning out responses and it’s not designed to remove human contact. It’s about connecting the clinician and patient at various points along the pathway, ensuring all interactions are optimised and making the most of those precious face-to-face appointments.”
All care relies on some degree of self-management. Technology can support this and build the connection between the clinician and patient, even simple reminders delivered through the app can be extremely effective. Some patients only need a light-touch, others will need more intensive support and the Living With platform will enable the clinician to prioritise and personalise care.
Of course we need to build patients’ trust in technology and demonstrate that it is about facilitating two-way communication. An Impact Analysis* evaluating how the Living With app helped with Long Covid recovery reported that 70% of patients said it helped them in one or more tangible ways. This meant giving them control (understanding the condition, getting support from the clinic, coping with symptoms) and / or getting them better (improving symptoms, managing their own recovery).
One of the important differences between Living With and some of the other remote patient management platforms is how flexible it is. Clinicians can structure their support and interactions in the way that suits them best, putting as much or little emphasis on self-management as the situation requires. Hannah Hylton, Physiotherapist at Barts hospital explains “I am often limited to the structures of clinic timetables and traditional NHS pathways of care. Living With enables you to walk alongside patients in the journey of their rehabilitation, enhancing what you can offer them. You can track their progress and communicate with them regularly; offering support, advice or escalating their next face-to-face review if required. This provides excellent care for patients where they have a real sense of ongoing therapist support.”
With the increase in people living with long-term conditions, the Living With platform and app enable clinicians to support patients to better manage themselves. The system keeps both parties engaged – the patient is empowered to help themselves with the peace of mind knowing the clinician can intervene if necessary.
This technology offers huge potential for the NHS to help patients gain the confidence and reassurance to self-manage, whilst allowing clinicians to support more patients. Like anything that represents a change in working practice it requires some time and energy to deliver the best results, but those who have embraced it advocate the benefits.
To find out how Living With can support your patients to remotely self-manage contact enquiries@livingwith.health.
* 1800 patients / 42 service providers