The hub aims to empower more people with lung conditions to use technology to help manage their condition better at home.
The British Lung Foundation (BLF) has launched a technology for lung health hub on their website. This hub aims to empower more people with lung conditions to use technology to help manage their condition better at home.
The launch of the hub ties into the charity’s annual awareness week, Love Your Lungs Week, (22-28 June). The theme of the week this year is staying connected through digital, and the leading respiratory charity hopes people with lung conditions can find technology that works for them and their individual need.
The BLF started work on the hub before the COVID-19 pandemic but have seen now, more than ever, digital health is vital. As thousands of people with lung conditions have been shielding and unable to leave the house, digital health is a vital tool to help people better manage their condition through remote information and advice.
One of the main features of the BLF technology hub is an app search for people to find the right health app for their individual need. The BLF worked with ORCHA on this function, who offer independent reviews of every app using their own scoring system. There’s a range of apps to help people manage their conditions in a variety of ways; through keeping a diary of symptoms, helping to improve inhaler technique, staying fit through exercise videos and helping people learn more about their conditions.
The hub also offers a technology guide, explaining key tech terms, information on how tech can keep people connected and stories from people with lung conditions on how tech has helped them.
Ian Bond, who has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), said “The BLF technology hub is a major step in helping people understand their own unique condition and help them manage it in partnership with their health care professional. It provides access to easy to use apps suitable to a wide range of users and people do not need to be a ‘techie’ to get real benefit. Do not let the word ‘technology’ baffle anyone, ‘apps’ are simply an easier way for people to record information about themselves and their condition. That information will lead to better understanding of the person and their disease and that has to be a good thing. The information can then be shared by the person with their health care professional to help build that essential partnership between doctor and patient.”
Michael Laffan, head of digital and marketing at the British Lung Foundation, said: “We’re proud to launch our technology hub at a time when digital health is more critical than ever. We worked very closely with people living with lung conditions to build a product that works for them. We want to empower people and help build their confidence to better manage their condition from home. We also know that many people with lung conditions are feeling isolated, so we hope to bring people together via online communities. We’ll continue to build the hub and support people during lockdown and beyond.”
Liz Ashall Payne, CEO, ORCHA, said: “A lack of advice means very few people with breathing conditions today use apps. For example, only 1% of people with asthma use an app to better manage their condition. With 1,500 asthma apps to choose from and 60% falling below quality thresholds, it is hard to spot the good from the bad and pick one that works for you. We are delighted that the British Lung Foundation is leading the way and helping people with lung conditions find the best apps.”
Dr Andy Whittamore, clinical lead for the British Lung Foundation, said: “Technology is a big part of many of our lifestyles, it was inevitable that technology would become part of the relationship between the NHS and it’s patients.
“Technology has allowed us to continue to support patients from the safety of their own homes during the COVID-19 crisis. As restrictions begin to lift, technology can continue to be used to allow quicker and easier interactions with healthcare professionals and be less disruptive on our lifestyles.
“Clinicians and their patients can all benefit in some way from greater use of technology – the hub gives reassurance to us all about which apps may be best suited to our patients with respiratory conditions.”
The BLF plan to continue to expand the HUB, adding in information on the best apps to use if you have, or have had, COVID. And encouraging more people to use online tools to exercise and stay active whilst in lockdown.
For more information or for interview requests, please contact the press team on 020 7786 4949 or email press@blf.org.uk.
Click here to visit the Technology for lung health hub.
The British Lung Foundation:
The British Lung Foundation is the only UK charity fighting to help the 1 in 5 people in the UK affected by lung disease. The charity provides support and information to improve the everyday lives of people with lung disease. We are also campaigning for better diagnosis, treatment and prevention for now and the future. For further information, please click here to visit the BLF website.
This new library will help people to access wellbeing help during COVID-19
Physical and mental wellbeing are major concerns for the public during COVID-19 lockdown, and it is now predicted that self-care will become part of the everyday routine. Lockdown has worsened existing issues with food and mental health, but has also rapidly boosted peoples acceptance for digital healthcare. This is expected to increase the demand on dietetic services, and with social distancing, new remote ways of providing care are essential.
To help its 10,000 members, the British Dietetic Association is taking the next step in its digital strategy to tackle this challenge. The BDA, Professional body and Trade Union for UK Dietitians, is working with the Organisation for the Review of Health and Care Apps (ORCHA), to produce a library of evaluated health apps.
The Association is also offering its members the opportunity to have apps evaluated by ORCHA. Should they, or their client, use an app that is not featured in the library, BDA will work with ORCHA to ensure that those apps undergo a rigorous review. The apps will be tested against 260 criteria, covering clinical effectiveness, data security and usability. This independent assessment will ensure dietetic app choices are fully informed.
Health apps offer easy, engaging and accessible ways to help clients better track symptoms or self-manage, at home. There are specialised apps across a range of conditions, such as diabetes, IBS, eating disorders and obesity.
With thousands of apps available, it can be hard to find the right one. Type ‘diet’ into Google play store and you’ll get over 1.6 million results, and not all of them are safe, secure or easy to use. The vast majority should be used with caution or avoided completely as they can cause harm. For example:
The library contains a comprehensive list of several thousand health-related apps – all of which can be searched by condition, intended use, and patient type. Also, all apps in the library have been objectively reviewed and rated, so members can make the best recommendations for their patients. The system provides a full report about the levels of clinical assurance, data privacy and user experience for each app listed.
Najia Qureshi, BDA’s Director of Education, Practice and Policy said: “Apps have the power to transform dietetic services, increasing engagement levels with patients and helping them to better stick to their personalised plan. Our library will help members harness this opportunity safely, by including only tested apps in their practice. Using this tool, we can unlock the power of Digital Health.”
Dr Tamsin Holland Brown demonstrates and shares her personal views of how these apps can benefit children’s health and wellbeing.
Today, we take a look at some of the best health apps for paediatrics. Dr Tamsin Holland Brown, Community Paediatrician CCS NHS Trust, demonstrates and shares her personal views of how these apps can benefit children’s health and wellbeing.
Of the 259 child health apps we’ve reviewed, 71% score below ORCHA’s quality threshold. It is, therefore, particularly important to understand which apps are quality assured for use within clinical pathways.
The NHS Long Term Plan prioritises ensuring a strong start in life for children and young people.1 Technology has a big role to play in this.
In the video below, hear Dr Tamsin Brown, Community Paediatrician CCS NHS Trust, discuss how the Hear Glue Ear app can help children aged 2-6 who experience hearing loss due to glue ear. Dr Brown’s daughter, Lilac, also explains how the app works, looking at how games are used to develop auditory processing and listening skills through bone-conducting headphones.
Click below to watch the video:
Dr Brown next demonstrates the Rafi Tone app and accompanying Able Spacer and whistle mask (manufactured by Clement Clarke International Ltd). The app is designed to help make using an inhaler with a spacer easier and more fun for young children with wheeze or asthma symptoms, with a whistle tone emitted by the mask when correct breathing technique is used:
Dr Brown explains how The Worrinots app helps children to offload their worries, and how the companion app, Wotnot, allows parents to monitor their child’s concerns. The Worrinots is a secure app designed for children, providing them with a safe place to share their worries, fears and concerns, which in turn provides them with a practical, fun coping mechanism for their fears, using one of the four Worrinots characters:
Sources
1) National Health Executive: NICE recommendations to improve the lives of children, young people
The organisations are planning to bring together their expertise to provide guidance on the digitalisation of care pathways
ORCHA is a world leading expert in Digital Health. Its unique intelligent platform, designed with clinicians and IT experts to be a rapid first level of assessment, evaluates health apps against 260 criteria, with each measure responsive, personalised to the app, yet can be completed in 3 days. This baseline review informs and directs deep app investigations conducted by Enhanced Review Components (ERC’s). Together, they are at the heart of national health app libraries around the world, including MIND’s app library of mental health apps, in the Netherlands. ORCHA regularly reviews its assessment criteria with experts and has now asked NeLL to scientifically validate the ORCHA Baseline Review (OBR).
To test the platform a scientific research team from NeLL will conduct an in-depth analysis of the OBR and will deliver a report with the findings and suggestions for possible optimization of assessment criteria or process.
As part of this research, NeLL will also include the end-users of eHealth apps to investigate what they want, need and expect of an app-assessment.
Commenting on the move, Niels Chavannes, professor eHealth, Leiden University Medical Center and Founder, NeLL, said: “We are honoured that we have been asked to carry out this assignment for ORCHA. We also think it is brave of them to dare to let NeLL conduct a very thorough, highly critical scientific investigation that could entail a lot of criticism on a process which is the heart of their organization.”
Tim Andrews, COO, ORCHA, adds: “NeLL is the best possible research party one could request to have a critical look at anything that has to do with eHealth and testing of digital tools. They are at the forefront in the field of development of innovative scientific research methods.”
Since 2019 ORCHA and NeLL have been working together on a regular basis. So far, experts of both parties have worked together on specific topics such as writing international applications and in the international CEN/ISO project group that cooperates to establish a European quality standard for health & wellness apps.
In addition to the scientific validation of the OBR, the organisations are planning to bring together their expertise to provide guidance on the digitalisation of care pathways, advising what eHealth tool should be used at which point in the healthcare process and for whom, extending to prescribing apps in practice.
Do you want to know more about this cooperation or about NeLL and/or ORCHA in general? Feel free to contact Cherelle de Graaf, she can be contacted via +31 (0)6-11 03 02 49 or cherelle@nell.eu