A new online system to enable remote monitoring of patients with motor neurone disease (MND) has been fast-tracked in order to support patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Telehealth in Motor Neurone Disease system, developed by the University of Sheffield, has been rolled out to patients with MND in Sheffield and Edinburgh months ahead of schedule as part of a partnership between the University of Sheffield’s Institute for Translational Research (SITraN), Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and technology firm Advanced Digital Innovation (UK) Limited.
It allows patients to seamlessly and securely connect with their health care provider through a web browser or mobile app, without the need for a physical visit.
Through the app, patients answer a series of questionnaires on a weekly basis about their health, providing real-time data on how they are progressing. They can also get advice and help on how to manage their condition, attend virtual appointments with their consultant and even access troubleshooting advice for the medical equipment they have to help manage their symptoms at home.
Dr Esther Hobson, Honorary senior lecturer at SITraN and Consultant Neurologist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We had already recognised that it was not ideal to ask patients to travel long distances for routine check-ups."
“However, Covid-19 made it critical that we took extra steps to protect these very vulnerable patients away from a hospital setting whilst continuing to manage their highly specialised care, and we have worked hard over the last few weeks to ensure the programme was ready to launch months earlier than planned."
“Feedback so far has been extremely positive, with our patients telling us how grateful they were that we have rolled out the digital technology to care for them while keeping them safe.”
This article originally appeared on Univadis, part of the Medscape Professional Network.
