NHS case study: using digital to deliver excellent paediatric care in physiotherapy

NHS organisation involved: Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

In Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, a key challenge for physiotherapy compliance is that the children’s wards are not conducive to performing regular exercise. This can cause a lack of motivation and enthusiam to do physiotherapy, which in turn can lead to prolonged injury and increased length of stay.

The Accelerator worked in close partnership with Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust’s charity, CW+, to help identify key challenge areas and find digital solutions. Working closely with one of our Accelerator “NHS Navigators” – an NHS expert that scouts for solutions – Chelsea and Westminster Hospital was introduced to MIRA Rehab. MIRA Rehab provides an innovative digital system is designed to make physiotherapy fun and convenient for patients recovering from surgery or injury, by transforming physical therapy exercises into video-games.

It was chosen to work in children’s wards in the hospital to increase the motivation, compliance, and understanding of physiotherapy exercises for children in the ward environment.

The software helps patients engage and stay motivated throughout their therapy programme by using games, and employs a motion-sense device to help physiotherapists assess therapeutic motions. The games are based on best clinical practice and expertise from specialist physiotherapists, and can be customised to individual patients’ needs. Patients progress to different levels within games, whilst performing rehabilitating movements at the same time.

This digital approach will help the paediatric therapy department at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital to expand their technological equipment and assist in delivering excellent care in line with the trust’s objectives. The use of MIRA could benefit up to 2000 patients at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital over two years.

David Soulsby, Acute Team Clinical Lead Paediatric Physiotherapist, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital said, “We are very excited to start this collaboration with MIRA. Enabling our paediatric patients to have extra motivation by using gamification exercises during their therapy sessions should enable them reach their goals quickly, and by having more fun!”

MIRA is now also working with London Southbank University to validate some of its measurements, and with University College London to develop an additional game for paediatrics and adolescents.

Learn more about MIRA Rehab: www.mirarehab.com

@MiraRehab