An NHS project with Care City could help reduce the risk of strokes thanks to early diagnosis of arrhythmias.
Tasked with helping one million people in the UK become ‘pulse aware’, the project aims cut out the heart rhythm abnormality atrial fibrillation (AF) using the KardiaMobile device by Alivecor.
The condition can cause up to half of all strokes.
Care City was one of the test beds supported by NHS England as part of a five-year plan to integrate technology and health, offering the prospect of better care, and better patient experience.
John Craig, chief executive, Care City said: “Boroughs in northeEast London, like much of the rest of England, have high rates of undiagnosed atrial fibrillation, which can suggest a high risk of stroke.
“Prevalence modelling suggests across Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Redbridge and Waltham Forest, there may be over 9000 undiagnosed patients with AF, indicating exactly how important this collaboration with Alivecor is.
“So far, over 550 people have been screened for AF through these Primary Care sites, of which approximately 38 were identified to have possible AF and 66 a heart rhythm abnormality and were referred onto other services.“
Care City has been collaborating with front line NHS providers in testing new models of screening for AF, both in community pharmacy and in general practice.
It is working to support local partners in the redesign of their models of care, to increase AF diagnosis rates and to ensure timely and effective anticoagulation to reduce risk of strokes.
The goal is to design new models of care that can easily be transposed to other locations as well as make a significant impact to the needs of the local population.
Care City is a Healthy Ageing Innovation Centre that has been created by local health and social care partners to deliver measurable improvements in health for the population we serve and to act as a catalyst for regenerating one of London’s most deprived regions.