The FDA has qualified the Apple Watch’s Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) history feature in the US, which “opportunistically analyses pulse rate data collected by the general-purpose Apple Watch photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor” to identify episodes of irregular heart rhythms, for use in clinical studies.

The Watch has qualified as part of the FDA’s Medical Device Development Tools (MDDT) program, which is intended to support medical device development and timely evaluation, and promote innovation by qualifying tools “that medical device sponsors can choose to use in the development and evaluation of medical devices”.

The FDA’s announcement highlighted the Apple Watch feature as “the first digital health technology qualified under the MDDT program”, and its use “as a biomarker test to help evaluate estimates of AFib burden as a secondary effectiveness endpoint within clinical studies intended to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of cardiac ablation devices”; as well as its use throughout clinical studies to monitor weekly estimates of “AFib burden”.

In the FDA’s published summary of evidence and basis of qualification, evidence to support the qualification of the Apple Watch’s AFib feature includes an evaluation using data from two cohorts, with a total of 280 subjects; one cohort with non-permanent AFib, and one with permanent AFib. According to the findings, the performance data demonstrates “the effectiveness of the AFib History Feature to provide clinically acceptable retrospective weekly AFib burden estimates, thus meeting the objective qualification criteria for the AFib History feature as a biomarker test”.

The summary also notes that the feature’s failure to provide “specific time stamps”, ventricular rate, and length of episodes for AFib patients, as well as to identify “atrial tachyarrhythmias other than AFib”, “underlies the qualified use of the tool as only a secondary endpoint to compare estimates of AFib burden”.

To learn more about the FDA’s decision, please click here.

Also from the US, Emory Healthcare has announced its deployment of the Epic electronic health record, with MacBook Airs made available to thousands of clinicians to support accessing of patient records via the platform.

During our visit to Rewired 2024, we attended a session focusing on the NHS App which aimed to provide insight into the progress and strategy of the app, as well as hopes and plans for the future.

Representatives from NHS England took part in the session, including Liz Clow, director of digital citizen services, and Rachel Hope, director of digital prevention services.

Liz began by sharing some progress from the last year, including 33.6 million people (75 percent of adults in England) having registered for the NHS App in 2023, and over 52 million messages being sent out via the app across the year. Over the five years, she highlighted that NHS England hopes to transition a third of all interactions made via digital means through the NHS App and NHS England page.

North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust has launched PatientAide, an online tool to provide patients access to their health documents, and connect personal tech and data from smartwatches.

The app and online web tool provides patients with the ability to view letters, correspondence and test results, complete questionnaires before or after an appointment, and support clinical teams share media files such as documents, YouTube videos or websites.

Patients can also connect personal devices, such as a Fitbit or Garmin, to track their health activities. As well, patients can view a calendar function to view their appointments and request to cancel them using the app.

Liz Mellor, chief strategy officer at Combined Healthcare, commented: “PatientAide aims to help communication between the clinicians and their patients. By putting essential information and tools directly into the hands of patients, this innovative platform is expected to create positive changes in how people manage their health. As PatientAide becomes available, patients who use it can look forward to a more connected, informed, and personalised healthcare experience.”

The trust has also recently announced the introduction of a tool to “break down online accessibility barriers” by introducing web accessibility software, Recite Me, onto its website.

The trust noted that: “With Recite Me now active on its website, Combined Healthcare is able to offer an on-demand accessibility solution to meet a range of needs and become more digitally inclusive. The software ensures that the website is user-friendly for individuals with disabilities, learning difficulties, visual impairments or people who speak other languages.”

The tool introduces a screen reader, the ability to change the size of text, margins and use a ruler, customise colours and styles, as well as translation options.

In recent news from the trust in December it launched its first ‘Go Green Go Digital’ sustainability awareness week, which highlighted the ongoing partnership between the trust’s digital transformation team and sustainability working group.

For HTN Now, we welcomed Vicky Boswell, associate director of performance, and Tom Jones, head of business intelligence, for a live webinar focused on accessing mental health data for quality care and ICS analysis, with a focus on how North Staffordshire Combined Health are using data to get an accurate understanding of the pattern of care activity.

NHS England has announced the national rollout of the average waiting time feature to be introduced in the NHS App, for patients referred into a speciality at NHS acute trusts.

The rollout follows a trial with Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, where the introduction of the feature was viewed as a success. From 30 January, a national rollout will begin, for the NHS App to show the mean average waiting time to patients on a waiting list and an estimated waiting time for their hospital treatment.

Published times will be based on the Waiting List Minimum Data Set (WLMDS) and waiting times from My Planned Care (MPC), and will be updated on a weekly basis.

NHS staff are directed to a communications package via the FutureNHS site to learn more about how the service works prior to roll-out.

The announcement comes as the DHSC launches a new campaign to encourage use of the NHS App, “by increasing awareness of the App and its functionality and driving knowledge of the key benefits to using it to access NHS health and care services”. The new campaign is set to run to 31 March, featuring a range of dedicated social media assets and resources.

The NHS App currently has a rating of 3.9/5 stars on the Google Play Store, and 2.9/5 stars on the Apple App Store, with some of the reviews rated “most relevant” on the Google platform mentioning challenges including missing test results, glitches, loss of functionality following updates, issues completing registration, and problems with accessibility.

To learn more about the new waiting times feature, please click here.

In related news, following a successful three-month pilot with 42 GP practices, a health tech company announced integration between two of its features with the NHS App: Batch Messaging, which allows practices to send the same text message to a large group of patients, and Batch Florey, supporting practices to send out patient questionnaires.

Elsewhere, NHS England has published the new NHS vaccination strategy, highlighting the role of digital services, a national vaccination data record and the NHS App in promoting access, uptake, and delivery.

Pharma services business Sciensus has acquired Vinehealth, a cancer-focused health tech business offering a patient app and physician support platform, in a move designed to expand Sciensus’s digital and patient support offering.

Vinehealth was founded by former NHS physician Rayna Patel and data scientist Georgina Kirby, with the website sharing that the app was created to “empower people with cancer to achieve their best possible quality of life”. It enables symptom tracking and understanding, medication management, and communication with medical teams. With patient consent, the platform aims to provide the data “needed to represent the voice of patients in healthcare delivery and drug development.”

Rayna adds that Vinehealth aims to “enable clinicians and researchers to truly understand how patients are responding to treatment in order to transform the delivery of cancer services.”

Making the announcement, Sciensus states: “The addition of Vinehealth will further engage and empower patients, whilst providing greater visibility of their treatment plans and care. This will lead to more personal clinical care, and ultimately, better health outcomes for patients.

“The acquisition complements our ongoing investment in market-leading digital insight tools that together deliver a great opportunity for all.”

Speaking on Sciensus’ plans for the future, CEO Darryn Gibson comments: “We plan to take the combined digital solution, along with our people, and wrap this into a service that we believe will be hugely compelling and truly engage patients in their treatment.”

We previously covered the news that Vinehealth and Cancer Research UK formed a partnership to support people living with cancer, with the aim of supporting patients to manage, track and understand their care.

In other news around digital cancer care, we recently took a look at the new digital strategy from Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, which places focus on digital foundations, patients and staff empowerment, and better use of data. Find out more here.

We also reported on Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust’s launch of a cancer support app, which aims to become a patient’s “personalised cancer companion”, providing information from diagnosis through to treatment plan.

Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust has launched an app to support cancer patients, with funding supported by the West Midlands Cancer Alliance.

The MySunrise app is being introduced for patients from diagnosis and through their treatment plan, designed to become a patient’s personalised cancer companion. It provides information and support for patients and their families, such as where to go for appointments, what public transport is best to take, and videos sharing other cancer patient journeys.

Jenny Donovan, cancer services manager, commented on the launch: “The app has already been a fantastic support for our patients, allowing them to access information they need at the press of a button. If there are any developments in the service, we will be able to share these, as well as information about our new hospital, the Midland Met, and what they can expect if they are being treated at the new facility when it opens next year.”

Debra Palmer, senior programmemanager, from the West Midlands Cancer Alliance, added: “Working to improve pathways and the experience of anyone diagnosed with cancer is a priority for the West Midlands Cancer Alliance. We know that navigating your way through the cancer pathway can be really confusing and stressful. An app like MySunrise which brings all of the information you might need into one easily accessible place is so helpful to patients and their families at an incredibly hard time.”

In July, we highlighted the news of Dr Nina Fuller-Shavel and Dr Penny Kechagioglou launching an integrative oncology app, to support adult cancer patients globally.

We recently sat down to chat with Ceire Costelloe, professor of health informatics at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and Lisa Scerri, business manager of BRIDgE (Biomedical Research Informatics Digital Environments) at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust. Ceire and Lisa discussed how health data is being used to improve outcomes across the cancer pathway at the trust, as well as the role of BRIDgE in enabling researchers to access real-world cancer data within secure, collaborative and cloud-based workspaces.

In June, we covered the role of digital in the fight against cancer in the Cancer Strategy for Scotland 2023-2033.

Staff from Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, in collaboration with Thrombosis UK, have launched a new app, ‘Let’s Talk Clots’, to provide information on blood clots, how to reduce the risk of developing one and to support people in recovery.

The app provides information for patients on why blood clots form, signs and symptoms, diagnosis, treatment options, recovery and managing the psychological impact caused by a clot, where to find more information and support, and information on other conditions.

Oxford University Hospitals plans to include details of the new app in patients’ discharge paperwork, and then in the future to include details on patients’ admission paperwork.

Sarah Havord, a blood clot prevention specialist at Oxford University Hospitals, said: “This resource is very much needed, providing free access to medically-approved information across the blood clot journey and, I believe, will help to save lives and restore lives affected by blood clots.

“The app started simply as an idea of mine, and has been developed in collaboration with Thrombosis UK, allied healthcare professionals, individuals who have been diagnosed with a blood clot, and their family members. I have been overwhelmed by the amount of support and help provided – it really wouldn’t have been possible without all those involved. All I ask now is for you to please download this app and share it with others.”

The app also includes medically approved films, frequently asked questions, links to further support, and printable resources. There is also a public chat to join a conversation or to share experiences.

To find out more, visit: Thrombosis UK | Let’s Talk Clots

In September, HTN covered the launch of the Innovative Devices Access Pathway pilot to help NHS address unmet needs. The pilot aims to support the “rapid development of innovative technologies” that could be introduced into the NHS to address currently unmet needs.

Last month, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust launched a new patient portal, providing patients the ability to manage their own hospital appointments from a range of devices at any time.

Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust has announced it’s set to go live with its patient portal, Patients Know Best, on 9 October.

Initially, patients will be able to access their health records through the portal, including their personal information and upcoming hospital appointments. Then, over the months ahead, the portal will be expanded to allow access to information leaflets, hospital letters, scan results and blood tests. The trust added that patients can sign up through the NHS app to be ready for when the portal goes live, and then can access their records either via the NHS app or Patients Know Best directly.

To support the go-live, the trust has published a frequently asked questions webpage, answering: Will this affect my care? Does this mean I won’t receive any letters or texts from my hospital? Is the system secure? Can I ask someone else to register on my behalf? What if I don’t have an NHS login?

Last week, the trust announced plans to introduce an electronic patient record, with an aim to go live in 2025. As one of the last trusts in London to move to an EPR, the programme aims to see an end to the trust’s “unhealthy reliance on paper”, which currently sees 25 million pieces of A4 generated every year.

In a £44 million investment, the trust will be introducing the same system that is in use at Barts Health. In particular, the trust’s announcement highlights the benefits which will arise from closer collaboration with Barts Health, and that “the records of someone visiting any one of the seven hospitals run by BHRUT and Barts Health will be accessible to the clinical team”.

In May, we spoke with digital leaders to hear their views, learnings and advice on patient portals.

In November, we’re hosting a panel discussion on patient portals, if you would like to join the panel and share your work, please email press@htn.co.uk.

NHS England has opened a contract opportunity for a supplier to provide an independent and comprehensive review of user experience in healthcare.

The programme will focus on a review of the user experience, features and functionality across 10 healthcare apps, with an aim to provide key insights and recommendations for the NHS to consider for future enhancements to the NHS App.

Currently the NHS App has a user rating on the Apple App Store of 2.9/5, from over 9,400 reviews, and on Google Play from 34,100 reviews, has a user rating score of 3.2/5.

The contract is valued at £41,666.67, with a deadline to apply by 12 September 2023. To find out more, view the contract notice here.

In June, we reported on plans to introduce mental health and MSK tools into the NHS App, where Lord Markham said: “The first mental health and musculoskeletal products will be available via the NHS App later this year, allowing 24/7 access to suit lifestyle factors without the need for a clinician referral.”

Recently at an NHS England board meeting, discussions focused on how technology is a “critical” element service of transformation and how a new framework is planned to tackle digital inclusion. On the NHS App, the meeting discussed the opportunities to improve access to the App, along with releasing capacity and streamlining service provision.

In our feature series on patient-facing tech, we explored service delivery, patient engagement, patient-provider relationships and equitable access for digital patient tools.

Representatives from restructuring firm Alvarez & Marsal have announced that they will be acting as administrators over Babylon Group Holdings Limited and subsidiary Babylon Partners Limited, and have completed a sale of “certain of the companies’ UK businesses and assets” to eMed Healthcare UK Limited.

In the announcement late Wednesday, Alvarez & Marsal confirmed the sale was completed to the company, adding that “the sale has secured the future of the Babylon UK operations” and the announcement “follows Babylon’s US business having entered into chapter 7 proceedings in the US”.

Earlier this month, HTN covered the news that Babylon was in the process of selling its UK business, after a proposal to combine services with digital therapeutics company MindMaze failed to go ahead.

Andrea Jakes, managing director for Alvarez & Marsal, commented: “The appointment of administrators over Babylon’s UK business to facilitate a sale to eMed ensures the least possible disruption for Babylon users, which should continue to operate as normal.”

Babylon was originally founded in 2013 with the aim of providing technology and clinical services to support a global patient network, designed as a “highly scalable, digital-first platform combined with high quality, virtual clinical operations to provide integrated, personalised healthcare”.

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