Latest news with #DREACHHF
Medscape
2 days ago
- Health
- Medscape
NICE Recommends Six Digital Platforms for Cardiac Rehab
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has conditionally recommended six online platforms to support cardiac rehabilitation for adults with cardiovascular disease (CVD). The draft guidance allows the technologies to be used across the NHS for a 3-year trial period. Patients will be able to complete rehabilitation at home using smartphones, tablets, or computers. The platforms are Activate Your Heart, D REACH-HF, Digital Heart Manual, Gro Health HeartBuddy, KiActiv, and myHeart. They provide services such as exercise programmes, CVD education, dietary advice, medication management, and psychological support. Some also incorporate wearable devices to monitor activity levels. Addressing Low Participation Cardiac rehabilitation is a proven therapy that lowers the risk for repeat cardiac events and hospital readmissions. Yet, participation in traditional, in-person programmes remains low. In 2023, only 41% of eligible patients with acute coronary syndrome and 13% of those with heart failure in England took part. Digital platforms aim to improve access, particularly among groups with historically low participation rates. These include women, younger patients, ethnic minorities, and those unable to attend in-person sessions due to work, travel, or other commitments. Dr Anastasia Chalkidou, NICE's HealthTech programme director, said that the platforms 'offer real potential to transform how cardiac rehabilitation is offered to people to meet their individual circumstances,' adding that 'early data is promising and suggests, with safeguards in place, more people should now be given the opportunity to use these new technologies.' Evidence and Safeguards Clinical data are already available for several platforms. Activate Your Heart has been evaluated in three studies, including two randomised controlled trials (RCTs), while KiActiv has two studies, including one RCT, and myHeart has been assessed in two trials, including one RCT. Results suggest that digital rehabilitation can improve exercise capacity, cardiovascular risk profiles, and health-related quality of life. During the 3-year trial, evidence will be collected on clinical outcomes, uptake among diverse patient groups, cost-effectiveness, potential adverse events, and comparisons with standard rehabilitation. The conditional recommendation forms part of NICE's Early Value Assessment process. Following the trial, NICE will review the data and decide whether the technologies should be rolled out more widely across the NHS. NICE stressed that the recommended platforms should be used only after a full clinical assessment by a trained NHS professional to ensure they are suitable for each patient. Not all patients will be appropriate for digital rehabilitation, as barriers such as limited digital literacy and lack of access to devices may prevent some patients from taking part. Clinicians should also be aware that additional support may be needed for certain groups, including older adults, people with disabilities, those experiencing homelessness, and individuals for whom English is not a first language. Further Research Seven additional platforms — Beat Better, Datos Health, Get Ready, Luscii Vitals, Pumping Marvellous Cardiac Rehab Platform, R Plus Health, and Sword Move — require further research before routine NHS use. They should be offered only in research settings. A consultation on the draft recommendations is open until 3 September 2025, with comments invited via the NICE website.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Heart patients to be offered rehab online under new draft guidance
People with heart problems will be able to complete rehabilitation online in their homes rather than waiting for face-to-face appointments after a number of platforms were conditionally given the green light for NHS use. Experts said the programmes 'offer real potential to transform' how this type of care is delivered to individual patients. Six online platforms have been conditionally recommended to support adults with cardiovascular disease (CVD) in new draft guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice). They are Activate Your Heart, D REACH-HF, Digital Heart Manual, Gro Health HeartBuddy, KiActiv and myHeart. CVD is a general term for conditions that impact the heart or blood vessels. It is estimated that it affects around seven million people in the UK. However, uptake for cardiac rehabilitation programmes, which can reduce the risk of further heart problems and hospital admissions, is low, according to Nice. Each platform is designed to offer cardiac rehabilitation online, including exercise programmes, advice on diet, medication management and psychological support. Some of the platforms also include wearable devices to monitor activity levels. Dr Anastasia Chalkidou, healthtech programme director at Nice, said: 'These digital platforms offer real potential to transform how cardiac rehabilitation is offered to people to meet their individual circumstances. 'We know that traditional programmes aren't reaching everyone who could benefit – particularly women, younger patients and people from ethnic minority backgrounds.' Before the online platforms are offered as an option, patients must be assessed by a healthcare professional. More support may be needed for older people, those with disabilities, homeless patients or those whose first language is not English, Nice suggests. The six platforms will be used on the NHS over the next three years to generate more evidence and data on their long-term effectiveness. Dr Chalkidou added: 'The early data is promising and suggests, with safeguards in place, more people should now be given the opportunity to use these new technologies. 'This three-year evidence collection period will give us the additional robust data we need to determine whether these innovations should be recommended as a permanent part of cardiac care.' A consultation on the conditional recommendation is now underway and will close on September 3. Seven other platforms – Beat Better, Datos Health, Get Ready, Luscii vitals, Pumping Marvellous Cardiac Rehab Platform, R Plus Health and Sword Move – require more research before they can be funded by the NHS, Nice said.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Heart patients could now do their rehab remotely as ‘transformative' plans get NHS green light
People with heart problems will be able to complete rehabilitation online in their homes rather than waiting for face-to-face appointments. Experts said the programmes 'offer real potential to transform' how this type of care is delivered to individual patients. Six online platforms have been conditionally recommended to the NHS to support adults with cardiovascular disease (CVD) in new draft guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice). They are Activate Your Heart, D REACH-HF, Digital Heart Manual, Gro Health HeartBuddy, KiActiv and myHeart. CVD is a general term for conditions that impact the heart or blood vessels. It is estimated that it affects around seven million people in the UK. However, uptake for cardiac rehabilitation programmes, which can reduce the risk of further heart problems and hospital admissions, is low, according to Nice. Each platform is designed to offer cardiac rehabilitation online, including exercise programmes, advice on diet, medication management and psychological support. Some of the platforms also include wearable devices to monitor activity levels. Dr Anastasia Chalkidou, healthtech programme director at Nice, said: 'These digital platforms offer real potential to transform how cardiac rehabilitation is offered to people to meet their individual circumstances. 'We know that traditional programmes aren't reaching everyone who could benefit – particularly women, younger patients and people from ethnic minority backgrounds.' Before the online platforms are offered as an option, patients must be assessed by a healthcare professional. More support may be needed for older people, those with disabilities, homeless patients or those whose first language is not English, Nice suggests. The six platforms will be used on the NHS over the next three years to generate more evidence and data on their long-term effectiveness. Dr Chalkidou added: 'The early data is promising and suggests, with safeguards in place, more people should now be given the opportunity to use these new technologies. 'This three-year evidence collection period will give us the additional robust data we need to determine whether these innovations should be recommended as a permanent part of cardiac care.' A consultation on the conditional recommendation is now underway and will close on September 3. Seven other platforms – Beat Better, Datos Health, Get Ready, Luscii vitals, Pumping Marvellous Cardiac Rehab Platform, R Plus Health and Sword Move – require more research before they can be funded by the NHS, Nice said.
