Our latest insights on how digital health can help with winter pressures.
The prospect of delivering health and social care through a winter season during the COVID-19 pandemic requires new ways of working. How can those at greatest risk access digital tools to help better manage their health?
In this newsletter, we share: How one social care provider is using iPads to help the elderly better manage their health, highlight the top 5 apps for winter pressures and How COPD apps can deliver a ROI as well as improve peoples’ health.
We also invite you to a free webinar where you will hear Dr Tom Micklewright review the top 5 winter pressure apps and Home Instead explain how they approached using iPads to better support the elderly and the results seen.
Whilst technology will never replace the human touch, it can enhance peoples’ lives. Engaging apps have been designed to help older people to tackle many of the health challenges they face. From mental stimulation to physical exercise, apps offer new ways for older people to improve their health; often also connecting with others, clinicians or family. Home Instead was the first care provider to launch a health app library and tablet scheme for its clients in the UK. It worked with ORCHA to build a library and curate a list of apps perfect for its clients.
To make it easy to reap the benefits of these apps, especially for those who find using a mobile difficult or who have no network coverage, Home Instead built tablets for clients, with a personalised selection of favourite apps already installed and ready to use.
We would like to invite you to join our upcoming free webinar, Digital Health Approaches for Winter Pressures, on: Wednesday 4th November from 14:00 till 15:00 BST.
In this webinar ORCHA and Home Instead will discuss the programme and results seen. Dr Tom Micklewright will also share his independent view of the top 5 apps for winter pressures listed below.
Click here or on the banner below to book your free space.
With expected rises in COVID-19, lung health issues, arthritis, mental health issues and a need to support our elderly, here we share a top scoring app for each:
For Covid-19: NHS 24: COVID-19 and flu information. From NHS Scotland, this app provides people in Scotland the latest health information on the coronavirus and flu. It features interactive forms, such as helping to identify if you should be tested for COVID-19 or to find out if you are eligible for a free flu vaccine and if you do a link to the right booking form. and the ability to see where a flu jab is available. Free. (ORCHA score 67%)
For asthma, COPD and cystic fibrosis: NuvoAir Home. This app enables you to take a lung function test at home, including lung volume, peak flow and ratio. Data can be shared with your healthcare provider. It has been through multiple peer-reviewed studies and reports a 30.9% reduction in consultations and 39.8% reduction in emergency appointments for Cystic Fibrosis patients. There is a cost although a starter kit may be provided if a clinic is willing to participate in a trial. (ORCHA score 94%)
For the elderly: Stronger Together. Designed for people living with chronic conditions, senior citizens and care givers, this app helps you connect with peers and experts. You can join daily programmes, live events and group discussions facilitated by experts. Free. (ORCHA score 72%)
For arthritis and MSK: Pathway through Pain. An online course to help you manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. The programme guides you through all the elements of an intensive pain management programme. You can work through the course at your own pace as there’s no time limit for completion. £40 or free by referral in some areas. (ORCHA score 82%)
For mental health: Wysa. An emotionally intelligent chatbot that uses AI to react to the emotions you express. Reflect on your day, practice CBT techniques, mindfulness exercises. Extra support is available with professionals. Around £5 per month and therapist package from £200 for eight sessions over two months. (ORCHA score 91%)
ORCHA evaluates apps against 350 standards and measures, giving an overall score out of 100. Any app scoring above 65% meets our quality threshold. Any score below 65% indicates that an app has some issues that should be investigated further prior to using, and a score below 45% indicates that an app has considerable issues or challenges and in its current form is potentially unhelpful or unsafe.
Read the full ORCHA review for each app at the ORCHA app library.
There have been numerous clinical studies around the impact COPD apps can deliver to services. Our health economists have built an interactive model that will give you an accurate picture of the savings your service should make by adopting digital health.
For example, across 27 GP practices in West Lancashire, if an app library enables just 20% of COPD patients to engage with digital health, a £78,854 reduction in healthcare costs can be expected, delivering an annual return of £13 per £1 invested.
Email hello@orcha.co.uk to request an estimate.
What is the health of mental health apps?
The impact COVID-19 has on our mental health is expected to last beyond any physical health issues. Fears of stigma mean our key workers are amongst the least likely to engage with traditional mental health services(1).
Digital therapies can achieve comparable outcomes to face-to-face therapy(2), and young men and boys say they would prefer online support, advice and counselling(3). But how do you find the right Digital Health solutions? ORCHA has reviewed 584 mental health apps to find the best.
Today, we share a snapshot of the quality of apps across a wide range of mental health conditions, and Dr Tom Micklewright discusses his views on apps that have scored well in ORCHA’s Review. You can also sign up to our next free webinar to learn how Papyrus, the National charity dedicated to the prevention of young suicide, uses apps to support those thinking about suicide.
Health apps are convenient and discreet, easily accessed with the tap of a button. But, amongst the 3,857 mental health apps available in unregulated app stores(3), which apps are safe?
Our Review Team has assessed apps that help people experiencing anxiety, depression, self-harm, panic attacks, and thinking of suicide. Each app was assessed against more than 260 criteria across Clinical Assurance, Data Privacy, and User Experience. We discovered that only 29.6% meet our quality threshold, and this figure dipped far lower for certain mental health conditions. We also identified gaps, where there are no apps designed to meet specific patient needs.
There is no one Digital Health technology that works for everyone with a mental health condition. To achieve good results, an app needs to engage and meet specific needs.
In the below video, Dr Tom Micklewright shares his independent views on mental health apps that achieve good ORCHA Scores and are each designed to meet the needs of specific patient groups, including: children, teenagers, students, those with suicidal thoughts, and autistic patients or patients with a learning difficulty.
Wednesday 26th August 2020, 14:00-15:00 BST
Join our free webinar to learn more about how you can build digital health tools into your mental health patient pathway.
Last year, Papyrus introduced an App Library to offer instant, anonymous help to those thinking about suicide. Papyrus staff are extending their services, using the website’s in-built functionality to recommend apps straight to service users’ phones by text or email, where possible. Papyrus will share details of the programme, which apps they frequently share, and where gaps in the mental health app ecosystem still exist.
Learning objectives:
Speakers:
Liz Ashall-Payne, Founding CEO, ORCHA
Kelly Thorpe, Head of Helpline Services, Papyrus
ORCHA is part of the NHS England National Innovation Accelerator Programme. We work with health bodies across the world to unlock the power of Digital Health, including NHS organisations in 50% of regions. Our vision is to revolutionise care through the safe integration of digital health solutions into all aspects of health and care services, leading to more patient-centred, effective care.
ORCHA provides tailored microsites and prescription services, and helps organisations across the world to integrate health and care apps safely into practice. To find out how ORCHA can help you, please get in touch.
Sources
A full list of sources is detailed below our ‘What is the health of mental health apps?’ blog, which can be found here.
Amongst the 3,857 mental health apps available in unregulated app stores, only a small proportion meet ORCHA’s quality threshold.
The impact COVID-19 has on our mental health is expected to last beyond any physical health issues. The virus itself, as well as the measures to safeguard lives that have come with it, have led to a rise in issues that cause mental ill health, such as loneliness, stress, financial worries, stigma and bereavement. And fears of stigma, mean our key workers are still amongst the least likely to engage with traditional mental health services(1).
Mental health apps can help people experiencing anxiety, depression, self-harm, panic attacks and thinking of suicide. There is evidence to show that digital therapies can achieve comparable outcomes to face-to-face therapy(2), when the content is right and supported by a suitably trained therapist. They can be embedded into services, transforming and extending support for patients.
Health apps are convenient and discrete, easily accessed with a tap of the button. Young men and boys in particular are concerned about the stigma of receiving mental health support and say they would prefer online support, advice and counselling(3).
But, amongst the 3,857 mental health apps available in unregulated app stores(4), which ones are the best?
The Organisation for the Review of Care and Health Apps (ORCHA) has reviewed almost 600 mental health apps that help people experiencing anxiety, depression, self-harm, panic attacks, and thinking of suicide. Each app was assessed against more than 260 criteria across Clinical Assurance, Data Privacy, and User Experience.
Of these apps, only 29.6% meet quality thresholds(5); a figure that drops even lower for certain conditions, including:
Whilst reviewing mental health apps, the team also identified significant patient groups who do not yet appear to have apps that have been built to meet their needs. These include:
ORCHA is calling for developers to get in touch if they have such a solution, or to consider building an app to meet one of these clear needs.
Apps offer a wide variety of features such as real-time monitoring, recording, and gamification, that help increase a person’s understanding and engagement with their mental health treatment. But people who download a mental health app without an assessment are putting themselves at risk.
Before recommending a mental health app, read its independent evaluation on the ORCHA App Library at: appfinder.orcha.co.uk
Sources:
1) Research relating to various groups of key workers…
For healthcare providers:
Ross C, Goldner E. Stigma, negative attitudes and discrimination towards mental illness within the nursing profession: a review of the literature. J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs. 2009;16(6):558–567. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Schulze B. Stigma and mental health professionals: a review of the evidence on an intricate relationship. Int Rev Psychiatry. 2007;19(2):137–155. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Wallace JE. Mental health and stigma in the medical profession. Health (London). 2012;16(1):3–8. doi:10.1177/1363459310371080. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Adams EF, Lee AJ, Pritchard CW, et al. What stops us from healing the healers: a survey of help-seeking behavior, stigmatisation and depression within the medical profession. Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2010;56(4):359–370. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
For teachers:
https://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/news/more-teachers-reporting-mental-health-problems-than-ever…. The findings show that around 5% of teachers in England now say that they suffer from a long-lasting mental health problem which has lasted (or is likely to last) for more than 12 months.
For police:
Stuart H. Mental Illness Stigma Expressed by Police to Police. Isr J Psychiatry Relat Sci. 2017;54(1):18-23.
Edwards AM, Kotera Y. Mental Health in the UK Police Force: a Qualitative Investigation into the Stigma with Mental Illness. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction (2020)
2) Healthcare Conferences UK: Improving Outcomes Through Digital Psychological Therapies & Digital IAPT; NICE: Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT); Centre for Mental Health: Covid-19 and the nation’s mental health
3) YoungMinds research reports that children and young people often look for support and advice online for their mental health – young men and boys in particular have said they would prefer online support, advice and counselling – but this support is not always available.
4) Analysis of Google Play and Apple Stores, searching for ‘mental health’ matches within the title and description of apps in the fitness and medical categories.
5) Based on ORCHA assessment of a sample of 584 apps, assessing these against 260 criteria across Clinical Assurance, Data Privacy, and User Experience.
We are proud to support Northern Ireland’s new Health App Library
On 5th May, Northern Ireland’s Minister of Health announced as part of NI’s Coronavirus News Conference that a new health App Library has been launched to help people manage their health and wellbeing, as part of the NI Government’s COVID-19 response. We are delighted to have worked with Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland (HSCNI), in collaboration with the Department of Health in NI, to facilitate this App Library.
Our aim is to continue helping health and care organisations to embed safe digital health into care pathways, and allow patients to access assured apps to help with self-management during the COVID-19 crisis.
Health Minister, Robin Swann, explained:
“Since taking up post as Health Minister I have made mental health and wellbeing a priority. In these unprecedented times it is hugely important to consider the impact that this deadly virus can have on our lives, including the impact on mental health and wellbeing.
“We must support people to look after their mental health and this new Apps library will provide a one stop shop where the public can access safe and secure apps to help them during the pandemic.”
Click below to watch the NI Health Minister announce the App Library launch: