Accelerator innovators Tiny Medical Apps get published in the NHS Apps Library

Tiny Medical Apps are one of the companies on the current cohort of the DigitalHealth.London Accelerator programme. Founded by an NHS system developer and an NHS Urgent and Emergency care doctor, they develop clinician and patient facing mobile apps for the NHS. Their flagship innovation the Digital Health Passport, a Personal Health Record (PHR) app for young people with long-term conditions, launched initially for young people with asthma. It displays personalised care plans and enables young people to track symptoms and access educational resources to help them manage their condition.

The assessment process to be published on the official NHS App Library involves seven stages to make sure that only safe and secure apps and digital tools are published:

1. Evidence
2. Clinical safety
3. Data protection
4. Security
5. Usability & accessibility
6. Interoperability
7. Technical stability

Greg Burch, one of Tiny Medical Apps co-founders said: “Being published on the NHS App Library is a significant milestone to reach. Working with NHS England and thanks to support and connections made through the DigitalHealth.London Accelerator programme, NHS commissioners can now be more confident that the Digital Health Passport is a high quality product ready for implementation at scale. Ensuring our innovations support the NHS and its staff as well as delivering positive health outcomes for patients is why we do what we do.”

Sara Nelson, Programme Director of Digital Health.London Accelerator Programme said: “We are immensely proud of the work and achievements of Tiny Medical Apps since their involvement with DigitalHealth.London Accelerator and Launchpad Programme. Young people living with asthma in London deserve support to help them manage their condition in a way that is more in line with how they currently use technology. Getting the Digital Health Passport published on the NHS App Library is a fantastic achievement and we look forward to continuing to support the team.”

The Digital Health Passport was commissioned by Healthy London Partnership after a series of tragic deaths from asthma in the capital. There is significant evidence that asthma plans and self-management improvements can reduce hospital attendances. The Digital Health Passport uses a digital version of the Asthma Action Plan developed by Asthma UK.

Self-management including provision of a written asthma action plan and supported by regular medical review, almost halves the risk of hospitalisation, significantly reduces emergency department attendances and unscheduled consultations, and improves markers of asthma control and quality of life. (Pinnock, Breathe 2015).

The British Thoracic Society/Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network (BTS/SIGN) asthma guideline cites 261 randomised controlled trials reported in 22 systematic reviews in support of its grade A recommendation that:

all people with asthma (and/or their parents or carers) should be offered self-management education which should include a written personalised asthma action plan and be supported by regular professional review.

For more information: tinymedicalapps.com