This industry roundup from Digital Health News includes a partnership in support of digital mental health, the power of digital health intervention, and a study on texting.
Text Message Prompts Drive Participation in Healthy Lifestyle Programs
A pilot study by the NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) has revealed just how powerful text messages can be in increasing patient engagement in healthy lifestyle programmes.
The pilot found that text messages sent to patients increased the number of referrals to the NHS Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP) by more than 1,000%.
The study set out to explore whether digital communications software managed at the ICB level is more effective than postal invitations in engaging patients in health programs. It was supported by the ICB’s clinical technology partner, Meddbase.
According to the study, the use of automated text messaging and patient identification tools led to:
- 1,000% + increase in NDPP referrals
- 331% increase in the number of patients attending at least one NDPP session
- 181% increase in the number of patients attending sessions over a three-month period.
Meddbase software was used to allow the ICB hiring officer to quickly identify eligible patients, match them against criteria, and also schedule text messages for the patient. At the same time, all of this information is captured in the electronic patient record.
Dr Tom Milligan, clinical lead for diabetes in the Humber and North Yorkshire, said: “The software used for this pilot enabled the ICB to perform advanced searches for the first time, so they could identify, invite and refer patients who would otherwise have been lost”. .
“The result was much greater acceptance of the NDPP, as well as significant time savings for clinical staff. Given the current capacity challenges within general practice and the cost to the NHS of lifestyle-related conditions such as type 2 diabetes to the NHS, the findings here could have a huge impact.”
Kooth partners with GLUU for digital mental health support
Kooth has partnered with GLUU to provide schools with invaluable digital mental health support using an online tutoring and support platform.
The collaboration means educational institutions can now purchase online learning resources and wellness support in one affordable and flexible package.
GLUU’s solution, askOla, provides on-demand homework help, feedback writing, and study support.
It has collaborated with Kooth, a digital mental health and wellness platform, to ensure that students, teachers and support staff have access to safe, confidential and non-judgmental mental health support.
Kooth services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and include Kooth.com for ages 10 and up and Qwell.io for ages 18 and up.
In addition to a library of content created by peers and professionals, Kooth also offers one-on-one text-based sessions with experienced counselors and wellness professionals. These are available without referral and without waiting lists.
The Kooth Work Flourish Mental Health Check also helps schools using the askOla platform identify priority issues when it comes to the mental health and well-being of school staff. This benchmarking tool helps the school invest in the right initiatives and develop new policies, practices, and programs.
Christine Major, CEO of GLUU, said: “Partnering with Kooth was a logical choice as our values are closely aligned, as they, like us, believe that mental health support should be accessible to all.”
Doctors now offer Wysa mental health app to patients
Wysa, the NHS-approved AI-enabled mental health app, is now offered to patients by GPs to help support mental health.
Patients showing mild to moderate symptoms of depression and anxiety can now be offered digital therapy as a first line of defense.
GPs who can refer people to Wysa speed up how quickly patients can access life support.
Within the NHS, patients can be referred to the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme, however initiation of treatment can be slow and many patients do not qualify due to a severity discrepancy.
Dr Farhan Amin, GP and digital pioneer within the NHS, said: “Patients need more support with their mental health outside of surgery, especially with long waiting times which means access to services can be delayed. more traditional therapies.
“Offerings like Wysa provide 24/7 help to our patients and remove some of the administrative burden and clinical time from the surgical staff. Having an evidence-based and clinically validated ‘digital pill’ will allow us to help many more people.”
Wysa is clinically safe to use and can deliver high-quality care when it’s needed.
Ross O’Brien, managing director of Wysa in the UK, said: “The mental health crisis is not going to go away. Frontline staff are overburdened and sometimes do not have the means to help people. GPs need to give their patients something. And there will be funding to do so through increased investment cash for doctors’ practices to expand their services as part of a new five-year contract with the NHS.”
Bupa UK Insurance launches new services for corporate clients
Bupa UK Insurance has unveiled a package of new offerings for its UK corporate clients, under the Inclusive Health label.
Created in response to customer demand, the new offerings cover a range of diverse health needs. They include:
- Period Plan: A new pathway that offers quick access to women’s health experts to support common conditions like endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome.
- Menopause Care: Offers menopause support by connecting health and wellness capabilities across Bupa.
- Sexual Health: Offers a variety of sexual health checkups.
- Neurodiversity offers evaluation, diagnosis and treatment for a variety of neurodiverse conditions, supporting both adults and children.
Menstruation planning, menopause care and sexual health are available in select plans, with some services provided through Bupa health clinics. Neurodiversity is still developing.
The new proposals join Bupa’s existing range of inclusive health benefits, including family planning services and rapid access to mental health support through the Family Mental Healthline.
Richard Norris, general manager of business and specialty products at Bupa UK Insurance, said: “Employers should invest in workplace health and wellness solutions that meet the needs of their individual employees.
“We strongly believe that inclusive health and wellness is now a critical part of the business agenda and we want to support employers in building these types of wellness strategies.”
Bupa’s Inclusive Health package is supported by the Bupa Academy for Health and Wellbeing. The academy offers business clients and intermediary partners free training and resources on topics including women’s health, neurodiversity and gender dysphoria.
