HCI, a partnership between Rocklands Media and Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, has launched a unique crowd funding-type concept, HEALTH CoLab, that brings together collaborators to co-fund digital health projects.
The use of digital interventions in pathways of care has been proven to reduce costs and increase capacity. But often the cost of development is beyond the reach of an individual hospital or department.
HEALTH CoLab aims to solve this problem as ideas can be generated and the costs shared with like-minded peers countrywide.
And collaborators can influence the content of the project, get the digital interventions they need at a lower cost, and be up and running with the resources more quickly.
Having HEALTH CoLab gives individuals the opportunity to bring their ideas to life and share the cost of development
Director of business development at HCI, Ellen Jenkins, said: “In the work we do, we see and hear about many potential digital health projects that would considerably improve our health system.
“Having HEALTH CoLab gives individuals the opportunity to bring their ideas to life and share the cost of development.
“We help put the project costings together, then promote it on the HEALTH CoLab webpage and share with interested parties.
“Ideas could range from suggestions for videos, a patient condition app, or support to redesign a clinical pathway of care.”
The first HEALTH CoLab collaboration is a video series for ophthalmology to help reduce the high number of outpatient appointments this pathway creates.
The videos will help to reduce unnecessary follow-up appointments, reduce the need for face-to-face appointments, improve patient education and confidence, and shorten appointment times.