An Australian life-saving smartphone app is helping heart attack survivors stick to their rehabilitation program and avoid a fatal second bout.
The Cloud-based MoTER app, developed by the CSIRO’s Australian e-Health Research Centre, takes the hassle out of staying healthy by allowing patients to follow tailored rehabilitation programs from home – or wherever they may be – rather than having to travel to an outpatient centre.
Cardiovascular disease is Australia’s No.1 killer, with one person nearly every 12 minutes dying from a heart attack.
But for sufferers, family and work commitments, as well as a lack of motivation after the harrowing experience of a heart attack, can make sticking to rehab feels more like a pain in the chest than a ticket to longevity.
Mohan Karunanithi, who led the project, said the app lifts patient compliance by nearly 30 per cent, according to results from a clinical trial conducted with Queensland Health.
Ordinarily, only 20 per cent of cardiac patients complete rehabilitation programs – a terrifying figure given about half of all deaths from cardiovascular disease are the result of a second heart attack.
Usually patients are required to attend group sessions at a clinic for four hours a week, Dr Karunanithi said.
“People have to travel to these places and find parking, but after a heart attack a patient is generally not that motivated psychologically – their wellbeing is down,” he said.
“In addition to that they have family commitments to juggle, and for those people who are returning to work the rehabilitation also competing with those demands.”
The smartphone app, developed for Android but with iOS on the way, allows patients in the program to track their progress using a health diary that relays data to an online portal accessible to healthcare workers.
It includes nutrition, exercise and medication programs are tailored to the patient, as well as motivational videos, text messages, and educational resources.
Patients record their own health data using the app, including blood pressure, sleeping habits and stress levels.
Healthcare professionalssimply phone patients for weekly consultations, adjusting the goal posts as necessary.
Dr Karunanithi said the ease of using the app, and the flexibility to take part in whatever exercise the patient enjoyed, lowered anxiety and improved quality of life compared to traditional rehabilitation programs.
The benefits flow through to health organisations too.
“It uses less resources, is much more structured and can achieve better results,” Dr Karunanithi said.
“Healthcare workers can have a dedicated approach to the client rather than having to divide their time amongst so many people in centre-based environment.”
A cost-benefit analysis of the new delivery model is under way, however Dr Karunanithi told Fairfax Media it could save institutions roughly $1600 per patient, assuming patients use their own smartphone.
MoTER is being rolled out in a number of hospitals in Brisbane including Ipswich, Metro North and West Moreton Hospital and Health Services, with other states showing interest in adopting it.
Rachelle Foreman from the National Heart Foundation of Australia said heart attack survivors must understand they are suffering from a chronic condition that needs active management.
“Evidence shows cardiac rehabilitation programs play a huge part in helping people to recover from their heart attack, make lifestyle changes and adhere to medications to reduce their risk of another heart attack,” Ms Foreman said.
The research team is looking at expanding the app to other medical rehabilitation programs, including for diabetes and pulmonary disease.