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A novel method for remote assessment of exercise capacity using a telehealth platform and a wearable medical device

Lead Participant: SPIRIT DIGITAL LTD

Abstract

**BACKGROUND:** Pulmonary Rehabilitation (PR) is a medical intervention, normally held in group classes in community facilities, improving lung function in patients with chronic lung diseases.

Spirit Digital have developed a home-based PR intervention (CTV-PR) that delivers video-led exercises and written education, and mechanisms to encourage lasting engagement with the exercise programme.

**CHALLENGE:** International guidelines state that PR exercises should be individually prescribed based on baseline exercise capacity measurements taken in clinic. Neither CTV-PR nor competitor solutions can measure exercise capacity remotely. **There is an unmet need for exercise capacity assessment at home.**

**VISION:** Collaborative R&D with the University of Strathclyde (UoS) and UK SME Waire Health to develop a new functionality for CTV-PR that facilitates exercise capacity assessment in the home.

**INNOVATION:** CTV-PR will enable formal exercise capacity assessment that is self-administered by the patient in their own home using wearable technology and innovative software features. Spirit Digital has completed in-depth searches to identify if anything like their idea has been proposed by others. This includes searches of:

* Patent databases.
* Databases published by the Governments of the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand of funded academic and industrial R&D.
* Wider internet searches via Google.

The consortium could not find any similar approaches to automating exercise capacity assessments in a patient's own home. As such, they have concluded that this is the first time the proposed approach has been attempted.

**TIMELINESS:**

* Alignment with NHS Reset and Recovery initiatives (CTV-PR provides new Covid-19 secure ways of working).
* CTV-PR supports expansion of PR services enshrined within the NHS Long Term Plan (referral increase target: 13% to 60% by 2023).

Lead Participant

Project Cost

Grant Offer

SPIRIT DIGITAL LTD £362,549 £ 253,785
 

Participant

WAIRE HEALTH LTD £84,982 £ 59,487
UNIVERSITY OF STRATHCLYDE £156,640 £ 156,640

Publications

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