Digital Health Coffee Time Briefing ☕

Your morning summary of digital health news, information and events to know about if you want to be “in the know”.

👇 News

🤖 A £2 million robot has performed its first colorectal operation at Conquest Hospital in Sussex, alongside a human surgeon. The da Vinci XI robotic-assisted surgical system is controlled by a human operator and uses specialist equipment that can make smaller incisions. This makes it less invasive than conventional surgery, with less blood loss and pain for patients, explained Michail Klimovskij, consultant surgeon at Conquest Hospital. 

💰 Patients under the care of Musgrove Park Hospital’s radiology team can access surface guided radiotherapy treatment (SGRT) for the first time, following a £800,000 donation from the Somerset Unit for Radiotherapy Equipment. SGRT uses 3D camera technology to give radiographers a real-time visualisation of the patient’s skin surface. This allows them to deliver more targeted and precise radiotherapy treatments.

🚀 Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals has launched a new study exploring how AI can help with the prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers. The study will involve an AI-powered system which records information from patients living with ulcers and uses it to develop a personalised care plan, including suggested treatment options. 

💬 A group of 15 friends have donated £4,000 to Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust to help stroke patients receiving speech and language therapy (SLT). The donation by Guru Nanak Naam Ladies Jatha will enable patients whose speech has been severely affected by a stroke to access digital SLT therapy via iPads.

👀 Eye specialists at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have developed a new tool that is hoped to change the way glaucoma patients are treated. The app, developed by a multidisciplinary team at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, is designed to help accurately classify glaucomatous field defects as mild, moderate or severe. This is key to risk stratification and ensuring patients get access to the right care.

❓Did you know?

People who use digital health tools take an average of 1,329 steps a day and perform an additional 55 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise each week, a study involving 200,000 participants from 47 countries has found.

The study, A systematic umbrella review and meta-meta-analysis of eHealth and mHealth interventions for improving lifestyle behaviours, was published 5 July 2024 in the journal npj Digital Medicine.

A meta-analysis of digital health interventions conducted by the University of South Australia found that mobile health apps, wearable activity trackers and web-based health programs led to marked improvements in exercise, weight loss, sleep quality and eating habits in study participants.

📺 What we’re watching

Professor Andrew Devitt and Dr James Gavin appear the latest episode of Aston University’s SPARKing up the Midlands podcast to discuss how they set up EVolution Therapeutics (EVo), a spin-out from the university which ic developing novel ways to treat non-healing wounds.

EVo was one of the first cohort of companies accepted onto the SPARK The Midlands healthcare accelerator programme in January 2024. The next step for EVo will be moving into human clinical trials for their non-healing wound treatment.

🚨 Upcoming events

3 September, webinar — Thinking Differently: Narrowing health inequalities