Patient Self-Management Platform for Axial Spondyloarthritis (axSpA)

Chronic health conditions are often managed in secondary care services that are facing long waiting lists, limited appointment times, and financial pressures. With the increasing availability of mobile devices including smartphones and wearables, patients can collect vast amounts of patient-generated health data (PGHD) outside of the clinic. This includes symptoms, biometrics and treatment adherence, providing clinicians with a more complete picture of patients' health. This data has the potential to support more insightful patient-clinician collaboration based on lived experiences; to enable remote clinical review; and ultimately, to improve the efficiency and quality of care. However, despite a desire from patients and clinicians, attempts to review this data in clinic have historically been unsuccessful.

Our fellowship will investigate this problem through an evaluation of a new digital health platform implemented at the Royal United Hospitals Bath (RUH) for axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) care. We will work with clinicians and people living with axSpA to understand their perspectives on the platform, how it is used during consultations, and how this platform might be improved to fit their needs. You can stay up to date about this project on my blog page.