Mobile health and apps news in brief
This month’s roundup from the world of healthcare apps and platforms includes a pediatric app which features an animated interactive squirrel to get children to take an interest in their healthcare and a platform which acts as a single-point-of-access for community, wellbeing and lifestyle services.
Patient engagement app for children wins Pfizer Healthcare Challenge
A patient engagement app for children has won the Pfizer Healthcare Challenge 2017 in Berlin.
KidPro, from DataArt, uses gamification to encourage paediatric patients to take an interest in their healthcare.
Currently still in the prototype stage, the app features an animated interactive squirrel that leads the child through the daily schedule, suggests personalised educational content and rewards.
Ivan Pantykin, delivery manager at healthcare and life sciences of DataArt, told Digital Health News that the win was one of the company’s ‘milestones’.
Digital innovators set to shake up healthcare with new digital platform
Digital innovators Priority Digital Health are set to shake up health economies across the UK with their newest platform.
Priority.me acts as a single-point-of-access for community, wellbeing and lifestyle services.
Users are asked to complete a short assessment and are then referred to a range of programmes and services that fit their needs.
App teaches doctors and nurses how to manage work-related stress
An app has been designed to teach doctors and nurses how to deal with the negative effects of work-related stress.
The Working Stress app can set up on devices within 15 minutes and teaches clinicians how to cope with stress.
As a result, patient safety and sickness absences can be improved.
Application deadline for Access to Innovation Fund looming
Bright sparks have until Wednesday (13 December) to apply for the Access to Innovation Fund.
The fund is focussed on supporting those who have an innovative idea on how to improve patient care within the NHS.
Apperta, which is managing the fund, are looking for projects which already have a prototype but need investment to develop a pilot.
Funds can range from £10,000 to £25,000.
Digital app to help get primary school children active is launched
An app which helps get primary school children active has been launched.
The ‘Start to Move’ assessment app equips teachers with the techniques and confidence to assess fundamental movement skills, like running, catching and balancing, in four to seven-year-olds
The project team, formed of academics from Sheffield Hallam University and experts from across the globe, engaged with primary school teachers to help develop the app.
Digital social prescription tool is launched in more GP practices
A digital social prescription tool is to be rolled out across more GP practices in London as part of the the EMIS Web clinical system.
HealthUnlocked allows doctors to quickly and easily deliver a digital social prescription to the patient as part of their standard consultation or appointment.
The tool also allows patients to be signposted to local services, charities and voluntary sector support, and relevant HealthUnlocked online support communities.
Initially live in two GP practices, the technology will be rolled out across practices in North East London.
Innovation prize offering £20,000 to simplify patient flow
A new innovation prize is offering £20,000 worth of development support to anyone with an idea on how to improve patient flow.
Beautiful Information, the first partnership of its kind between the NHS and the private sector, is offering the money to patients, clinicians or managers with ideas for applications which could help provide a simpler patient flow.
As well as access to a significant development budget the winner of the prize will have access to two large acute trusts, their patient data, their clinicians and their local health partners so the application can be implemented, tested and evaluated.
The deadline to enter the competition is 31 December.
Motion-sensing wearable tech for professional and amateur athletes launched
A new piece of motion-sensing wearable tech designed to track the movements of professional and amateur athletes has been launched.
The IMU Step, from IMeasureU, consists of two small and lightweight sensors placed on the ankle bone that produce highly accurate movement data.
This gives coaches and athletes the ability to precisely measure the movements and stress put on athletes’ bodies in any running-based sport.
Early units of IMU Step are currently being used by both professional sports and collegiate programmes in the US but it will available to the public at a later date.
