An online health tracker in the U.K. that requires patients to use the iPad to record and track surgical recovery metrics--HealthUnlocked Tracker--was launched this past week in a trial for spinal surgery patients at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital.
The tracker is the first of its kind in the U.K., and allows patients to continue tracking their progress after being released from the hospital. Doctors and nurses also have access to the system, allowing for constant care updates.
"Having accurate information at my fingertips about my patients' recovery is groundbreaking," Dr. Matthew Shaw, a consultant spinal surgeon with RNOH and the trial's lead surgeon, said in a statement. "Some patients with very rapid recoveries require less intensive follow-up than those with slower or more problematic recoveries. This gives me more flexibility to assess this in advance and better tailor my time to my patients' needs."
The goal is to make the HealthUnlocked Tracker available to roughly half of all patients suffering from chronic diseases by 2016, according to company co-founder Dr. Matt Jameson Evans. "We've started with spinal patients, but the potential is huge as the new tracking works with all types of disease," he said.
To learn more:
- read this announcement
- check out this OnMedica article
- go to the HealthUnlocked website