Medtech and digital health firms launch patient monitoring app for orthopaedic surgery

Medtech firm Smith+Nephew and digital health company Huma, have launched their remote patient monitoring app for orthopaedic surgery. 

There are an estimated 250,000 patients on waiting lists for orthopaedic operations due to COVID-19, with UK surgery running at 50% of usual capacity. To restart safe surgery, Smith+Nephew and Huma have developed a way for surgeons to prepare their patients ahead of operations, through remote patient monitoring. 

Previous work has shown the positive impact that better preparation can have on patients, such as reducing recovery time, and digital services like this can offer timely, tailored information and reminders to help patients be prepared. 

Smith+Nephew has provided the orthopaedic expertise, and Huma the digital technology to create an app that allows patients to move safely through their total joint replacement surgery. Patients receive pre-surgery guidance, access virtual rehabilitation resources and can have video calls with their surgical team, whilst clinicians can monitor how patients are recovering and use health data to check patients will be well enough for surgery.

Importantly, a COVID-19 symptom tracker checks for self-reported signs of infection before being admitted to hospital and after discharge, giving reassurance to patients and staff.

Simon Tarry, managing director, UK, Ireland & Nordics at Smith+Nephew said: “Our new app is a major development which we believe will make an immediate impact on the surgical landscape. Partnering with Huma, we have created a sophisticated app which allows Smith+Nephew to support an end-to-end platform and solution around the prosthesis itself. In the short-term, the app will support our mission to get patients back into surgery safely during the pandemic, but the longer-term capabilities of the app could transform how surgeons and patients manage their surgical pathways in the future.”

Dan Vahdat, founder and CEO of Huma, added: “Huma already uses its 'hospital at home' platform to change how we care for at-risk patients through national projects in the UK, Germany and UAE. With Smith+Nephew we're showing that our technology can transform how we look after patients going through surgery. Our adaptable remote patient monitoring platform is being used for people who are facing a wide variety of diseases. This is all part of our vision for a world where patients can live their life to the fullest, despite their surgery or illness.”

The app is currently being piloted by surgeons and patients across several UK hospitals, with immediate plans to roll it out to a further ten NHS and private hospitals in the coming weeks.