Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and its official charity, CW+, have launched a new version of their smartphone app, Hand Therapy: The Exercise Prescription App.
The award-winning solution, developed by Imagineear, provides patients with treatment information and a therapist-tailored exercise programme to aid recovery from hand and wrist injuries.
The improved version of the existing app has new functionality, content, and updated features to improve the patient and therapist experience.
Led by the Trust’s senior occupational therapist, Hayley Fay, and funded by CW+, the Hand Therapy app now offers 50 new videos, resulting in a library of over 130 instructional videos and audio tutorials, which patients can follow and replicate at home.
The updated app was developed based on patient and clinician feedback and will continue to be used in busy clinical settings.
Originally developed in 2017 for trust patients, the app is now used worldwide, with data from the UK Reconstructive Surgical Trials Network (RSTN) and British Association of Hand Therapist (BAHT) pandemic response survey of clinical staff finding that 81% of respondents in the UK were using it within their department.
Updates to the solution will optimise existing features, enabling the hand therapy exercises to reorder in accordance with the prescription, with additional ‘exercise repetitions’ and ‘completed’ buttons for each exercise.
The new functionality to enable the team to collect outcome data related to patient goals, will really help motivate patients on their journey to recovery
The catalogue has also been sub-categorised with an enhanced search function to make finding exercises quicker.
And the app now includes an option to record and upload videos with the patient, enabling bespoke tailored programmes.
Commenting on the launch of the new app, Fay, said: “We are truly delighted to be able to update the Hand Therapy app and build on its success to date.
“It has been a pleasure working with colleagues and patients and their feedback has helped to shape the new version. In particular, the new functionality to enable the team to collect outcome data related to patient goals, will really help motivate patients on their journey to recovery.”
Chris Chaney, chief executive of CW+, added: “We are proud to have funded the Hand Therapy app over the years and it has been a pleasure working with Hayley and her team, supporting our staff to bring their ideas to fruition to provide patients with a simple, effective, and easy way to access their hand exercises.
“The new videos and upgraded features will ensure the app continues to provide the best user experience for patients.”