The evolution of Fibricheck’s NHS knowledge and network

Posted on by DigitalHealth.London

FibriCheck is the world’s first medically certified app capable of timely detection of heart rhythm disorders, including atrial fibrillation (AF).

Overview:

  • FibriCheck allows the timely detection of cardiac arrhythmias at a person’s fingertips. Patients can self-monitor heart rate and rhythm at home by simply placing a finger on the camera of their smartphone.
  • The software can be used in both prevention/ early detection of symptomatic patients and in follow-up/ remote monitoring post treatment.
  • Diagnosed patients also monitor their heart rhythm with FibriCheck from the comfort and safety of home, saving caregiver coordination and travel time to in-clinic visits.

I have episodes at different times and usually when the doctor is closed so I can’t get an ECG done. This will be a great help in my diagnosis.

– Patient

Accelerator support:

FibriCheck gained 10 additional contracts since embarking upon Accelerator programme and also deepened its credibility and visibility with NHS stakeholders. Moreover, the team grew their expertise on UK Information Governance (IG) and cyber security requirements, and also refined their NHS value proposition and commercial offer.

Additional support:

  • Evidence generation gap analysis and one-to-one sessions with Professor Paul Wallace and Dr David Mummery.
  • Flu clinic model’ pilot with Redbridge CCG presented at UCLPartners Primary Care Innovation meeting.    
  • Put forward for multiple opportunities (Health Economics student partnership, pitching sessions, interviews/ articles/ features etc.) that helped to grow awareness of the solution. 
  • Weekly meetings for support as ‘UK team’, and sessions to grow their understanding of the market.

The on-demand prescription of FibriCheck in TeleCheck-AF makes comprehensive remote AF-management possible during COVID-19.

– Dr Dominik Linz, Cardiologist, Maastricht UMC+, Netherlands.

Key impacts of the product:

FibriCheck offers more efficient: triaging, care delivery of unknown/ (a)symptomatic patients, effective detection of high-risk patients with symptom presentations, as well as evidence-based follow-up of diagnosed patients (in person and via teleconsultation). FibriCheck also increases access and reduces care delivery variation that disproportionately affects marginalised/ vulnerable groups. By offering self-monitoring at home, FibriCheck provides peace of mind, improves QoL and eliminates unnecessary doctor visits.

It’s great that you are doing these things and thinking about what might be the cause of my problems, even when I am not sat in your surgery.

– Patient

Being able to reach out to patients through FibriCheck helped to empower me and my colleagues during an extremely challenging lockdown. We were able to reassure patients with normal results and alleviate their anxieties, which had been augmented due to the pandemic. It also helped to identify patients that required intervention quickly, which helps clinicians prioritise appropriate health needs.

FibriCheck is easy to implement and reduces inappropriate referrals that, without this technology, could end up being a burden on the stretched health economy. I am looking forward to using it in our flu clinics and COVID-19 vaccination booster clinics.

– Dr Shabana Ali, Digital Lead for BHR ICP

Key successes so far:

FibriCheck has been recognised in the latest primary care cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention guidance as an effective solution for remote AF detection and management along with UCLP LTC frameworks for AF and hypertension.

The solution has been adopted in over 30 centres across the NHS, notably in the London patch in Chelsea Westminster for both secondary and primary prevention, Barts for remote cardiac monitoring post-intervention, Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust post-stroke discharge to address Holter wait times and improve AF detection yield. And in primary care for targeted detection with high-risk patients, as aligned to vaccine delivery – thus highlighting the solution’s application in various care settings across the care continuum.

FibriCheck have also garnered successful partnerships with both Eastern and Innovation Agency AHSNs, whose collaboration will realise scale and spread of the innovation to nine trusts collectively. It’s industry partnerships via MEGs (Medical and Educational Goods and Services) and joint workings have also helped realise pathway transformation and service redesign for a number of NHS organisations across the country.

Felicia Vaz Project Manager, FibriCheck
As a Belgian company, the DigitalHealth.London Accelerator programme has introduced us to an invaluable network of UK experts, who gave us guidance in understanding the NHS landscape and how it works. The Accelerator also assisted in exposure to opportunities for pilots and commercial contracts within key NHS trusts to test and validate our product. The efforts of the Accelerator have been immensely helpful in deepening our understanding and approach to the UK market, because ultimately, we are passionate about making it easy as possible for people to know if they have an irregular heart rhythm and subsequently prevent AF strokes from happening.

FibriCheck is currently one of twenty SMEs on the DigitalHealth.London Accelerator programme.

The DigitalHealth.London Accelerator is a collaborative programme funded by London’s three Academic Health Science Networks – UCL Partners, Imperial College Health Partners, and the Health Innovation Network, MedCity, CW+ and receives match funding from the European Regional Development Fund.

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