Digital Healthy Schools: App of the Month

Meet our new ‘App of the month’ feature!

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Digital Healthy Schools: App of the Month

We are introducing a new ‘App of the Month’ feature to Digital Healthy Schools to allow students to get involved with safe digital health and also get their views across.

The app that we’ve selected as App of the Month is…

Sweatcoin – the app that converts your outdoor steps into gadgets, sports and fitness kit, services and experiences!

The app is a fun incentive to get active and gain rewards for your efforts, and Sweatcoin scored 69% on ORCHA’s App Library for both iOS and Android. You can take a look at Sweatcoin’s ORCHA Review here. We’d love to know what your pupils think of it, so it’d be fantastic if you could ask them to use the app and write a review themselves!

Please ask students to email their reviews to kate.gilding@orcha.co.uk, and we will post the best on social media!

Below is an example review of mental health and wellbeing app, Headspace, as written by a student about how the app helped them:

Headspace

Headspace is an app for anxiety, stress and sleep. Here are some things we all liked about it:

  • It is soothing, relaxing and calming (ah zen)
  • Easily accessible.

Headspace is an app about keeping the mind calm and reducing stress levels. Within the time period, you are able to try and make a sleep pattern or help to reduce your stress with a form of activity or lesson.

This app is brilliant to use when you struggle to sleep due to stress or anxiety. This app helped me to rest when it came to tests. You can even use it in the day if you can find a quiet place and relax to meditate.  I highly recommend this app for students and adults. The app helps with sleep and calming you down. When I used it I saw a noticeable difference in my energy levels during the day and my ability to sleep.

Due to our continual re-review process, all app scores are subject to change. As such, we’d always encourage you to view our app reviews on our App Library, as this reflects Live data and app updates which are continuously changing. Our re-review process ensures that the most up-to-date information for the latest version of an app can be accessed via our App Library.

About ORCHA

Founded by NHS clinicians, ORCHA is the world’s leading digital health evaluation and distribution organisation. We provide services to national health bodies across three continents, including the NHS in 50% of UK regions, delivering national accreditation frameworks, bespoke Digital Health Libraries, and professional recommendation tools, specific to the needs of our clients. ORCHA’s unique Review Engine assesses digital health solutions against more than 300 measures across Clinical/Professional Assurance, Data & Privacy, and Usability & Accessibility, plus additional criteria depending on needs.

See how ORCHA works

Discover how our services, including Reviews, Digital Health Libraries, and market intelligence reports, can work for your specific needs.

Your Health and Care App Library

Search ORCHA’s App Library, featuring thousands of independent app reviews across a broad spectrum of health conditions. Every app is evaluated against more than 300 measures across Clinical/Professional Assurance, Data & Privacy, and Usability & Accessibility, making it easy for you to find the best apps for your needs.

Coronavirus: Apps to help self-management

Apps to support self-care for all during COVID-19

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Coronavirus: Apps to help self-management

As the number of confirmed cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continue to rise across the globe, governments are taking action to manage the impact of the outbreak – including asking people to self-isolate if showing symptoms.

With fewer patients attending general practices in person, and an increasing number of people choosing to self-isolate at home, digital health resources offer a practical tool that can be called upon for remote self-management.

There is a plethora of apps that can help with health-management, remote-monitoring and staying healthy. Apps not only help to keep pressure off the NHS in a time of high demand, but also allow patients to protect themselves and others from unnecessary risk. However, app stores are unregulated, and 85% of apps do not meet ORCHA’s quality threshold.

To support NHS efforts, below we have listed tested apps for you to be aware of, that support:

  • Self-care, managing anxiety, and wellbeing for all
  • Management of diabetes, respiratory and heart condition symptoms
  • Reducing pressure on NHS services.

Each of the following apps meet ORCHA’s quality threshold for apps that are safe to use.

ORCHA helps the NHS to assess and build apps into practice. Please feel free to get in touch with us at hello@orcha.co.uk if you’d like any more information or advice on finding suitable apps to help you or your patients with self-managing health and care during this time of uncertainty.

Apps supporting self-care and managing anxiety:

  • Wysa* is an emotionally intelligent chatbot which employs research-backed, widely used techniques such as CBT, DBT, Yoga and meditation, to support users with stress, anxiety, sleep, loss and a whole range of other mental health and wellness needs.
  • Fabulous* takes a holistic approach to motivate users to be more productive and have higher energy. The app is more than just a habit tracker, or a way to create new rituals – it’s a personal coach and happiness trainer.
  • Your.MD is a health tracker and symptom checker powered by Artificial Intelligence, which has been developed by doctors and data scientists. It provides instant personalised health information and services, whenever and wherever it’s needed, for free.
  • eQuoo* is an evidence-based Emotional Fitness Game, combining the excitement and joy of gaming and the expertise of mental health professionals to provide a new form of mobile prevention and therapy for young adults 18-28-years old.

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Apps to manage respiratory and heart condition symptoms:

  • my mhealth* is the leading supplier of self-management and rehabilitation apps and platforms in the UK for patients with COPD, Asthma, Diabetes and Heart Disease. These patient apps interact with a condition specific clinical interface, enabling efficient, population level remote models of care.
  • myCOPD*, part of the my mhealth platform, has been designed and built by COPD experts. It allows users to perfect their inhaler technique, manage their COPD from world experts, and complete online pulmonary rehabilitation classes from the comfort of their home.
  • myAsthma* (my mhealth) incorporates Symptonet, my mHealth’s AI engine that helps patients to manage their asthma. If Symptonet detects a patient is using their rescue inhaler more than expected, they’re given further advice on how to manage their symptoms.
  • myHeart* (my mhealth) supports patients with heart disease or recovering from cardiac surgery. Delivering personalised self-management and cardiac rehabilitation programmes, the platform has over 50 new educational videos.
  • Zephyr Guide is an inhaler technique guide to help with easier breathing, improved health and better quality of life.
  • Smart Peak Flow* allows users to track their asthma and learn their triggers using smart sensor technology.

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Apps to manage diabetes:

  • myDiabetes* (my mhealth) provides 24-hour self-management, education and expert advice to patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The app allows users to monitor their blood glucose, HbA1C, and other risk factors, to reduce the risk of serious long-term complications. myDiabetes also brings users closer to their clinician, enhancing and enabling efficient care remotely.
  • MySugr* is a diabetes logbook which auto-logs data, and allows users to collect daily therapy data such as meals, diet, meds, blood glucose, insulin, carbs and more. The app brings together a blood sugar tracker, carb logger, bolus calculator (EU only) and users’ estimated HbA1c.
  • My Diabetes My Way is an online platform and smartphone app that supports self-management of diabetes. It gives patients access to hundreds of multi-media educational resources, e-learning courses, and access to their NHS data (electronic health record), and home recorded data (home blood glucose monitoring, weight, BP, activity data).

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Apps helping to reduce pressure on the NHS:

  • Ask NHS provides users with improved access to NHS services. Users can talk through their symptoms in complete confidence with Olivia, a virtual health assistant. If needed, Olivia will arrange for a call back from a 111 Nurse to discuss symptoms further. The app also allows users to search NHS approved healthcare advice.
  • Pharmacy2U allows patients to order and manage their NHS repeat prescriptions whenever and wherever they are needed. Pharmacy2U takes care of everything, from requesting prescriptions from the patient’s GP, to the delivery of the medication directly to the patient, for free.
  • Health Help Now lists common symptoms and offers suggestions for treatment, so that patients can find the right health service to use. The app also includes details of a number of useful websites and helplines for a variety of health problems.

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Experts think that coronavirus can survive on surfaces, possibly for days, so it’s important that your phone – at home, mobile or at work – is cleaned thoroughly and often. As modern phones tend to be water-resistant and sterilising wipes could damage the screen, you could clean your phone with regular soap and water and a single-use paper towel – but do check your phone is water-resistant before you try it. (1)

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*may include in-app purchases

With a wealth of useful apps on our App Library, the above is not an exhaustive list. Click here to search for more health and care apps to help with self-management.

Sources:

(1) Coronavirus: Eleven of your most popular questions, answered
(2) GPs told to switch to digital consultations to combat Covid-19
(3) Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) standard operating procedure

About ORCHA

Founded by NHS clinicians, ORCHA is the world’s leading digital health evaluation and distribution organisation. We provide services to national health bodies across three continents, including the NHS in 50% of UK regions, delivering national accreditation frameworks, bespoke Digital Health Libraries, and professional recommendation tools, specific to the needs of our clients. ORCHA’s unique Review Engine assesses digital health solutions against more than 300 measures across Clinical/Professional Assurance, Data & Privacy, and Usability & Accessibility, plus additional criteria depending on needs.

See how ORCHA works

Discover how our services, including Reviews, Digital Health Libraries, and market intelligence reports, can work for your specific needs.

Your Health and Care App Library

Search ORCHA’s App Library, featuring thousands of independent app reviews across a broad spectrum of health conditions. Every app is evaluated against more than 300 measures across Clinical/Professional Assurance, Data & Privacy, and Usability & Accessibility, making it easy for you to find the best apps for your needs.

NHS LPP adds 5 new categories to Dynamic Purchasing System

Apply now!

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NHS LPP adds 5 new categories to Dynamic Purchasing System: Apply Now!

NHS LPP (NHS London Procurement Partnership) have added 5 new condition area categories to their Dynamic Purchasing System:

Category 6 – Brain / Nerves
Category 7 – Cancer
Category 8 – Healthy Living
Category 9 – Joints / Bone / Muscle
Category 10 – Medicines and Clinical Reference

If you have an app that comes under any of these categories, you can apply to be part of the DPS here: https://www.lppsourcing.org/

In order to view the opportunity, you will need to select the ‘find opportunities’ option on the landing page once you have logged in to LPP Sourcing. From there select NHS London Procurement Partnership from the Organisations drop down. A list of current opportunities should load, from this list please select ‘Health and Social Care Apps DPS.’ When this page has loaded please select ‘Register interest in this opportunity’ and you will be taken to the opportunity where you can review all documentation and should you wish to begin the electronic questionnaire by clicking on the green icon at the bottom of the page. To reply to each question please click on the edit link within the Question Sets box.

The deadline for the first round of applications for these new categories is 30/3/20, and the existing categories will remain open for applications.

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The NHS London Procurement Partnership (NHS LPP) develops and manages collaborative procurement projects on behalf of its members, including NHS clinical commissioning groups and acute, community, mental health and ambulance trusts.

Operating as a centre of commercial excellence, it delivers significant and sustainable cost and service improvements to the health economy relating not only to the procurement of digital technology, but also workforce, medicines optimisation and pharmacy, and estates and facilities management.

In order to provide NHS healthcare providers and the wider health and social care economy with the safe and efficient roll-out of mHealth applications, NHS LPP is introducing a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) that will enable a streamlined and compliant route to market.

As part of this opportunity, NHS LPP is inviting suppliers to submit apps for inclusion in the DPS.

All apps that apply will undergo an assessment by the Organisation for the Review of Health and Care Apps (ORCHA) and this will inform the selection decision made by NHS LPP. ORCHA’s review will look at 260 aspects of the app. Full details can be found at: Reviews and Accreditations

Serving a population with a wide range of health conditions, the programme is looking to include apps that address all conditions supported by the NHS and the health and social care sector. This includes mental health, women’s health, child health, diabetes, blood pressure and more. Apps may support the patient or the running of the organisation.

This programme aims to deliver cost effective, safe and effective apps into public sector services across the United Kingdom.

About ORCHA

Founded by NHS clinicians, ORCHA is the world’s leading digital health evaluation and distribution organisation. We provide services to national health bodies across three continents, including the NHS in 50% of UK regions, delivering national accreditation frameworks, bespoke Digital Health Libraries, and professional recommendation tools, specific to the needs of our clients. ORCHA’s unique Review Engine assesses digital health solutions against more than 300 measures across Clinical/Professional Assurance, Data & Privacy, and Usability & Accessibility, plus additional criteria depending on needs.

See how ORCHA works

Discover how our services, including Reviews, Digital Health Libraries, and market intelligence reports, can work for your specific needs.

Your Health and Care App Library

Search ORCHA’s App Library, featuring thousands of independent app reviews across a broad spectrum of health conditions. Every app is evaluated against more than 300 measures across Clinical/Professional Assurance, Data & Privacy, and Usability & Accessibility, making it easy for you to find the best apps for your needs.

Best health apps for sleep

Top-scoring apps to help patients improve sleeping patterns

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Best health apps for sleep

Sleep. It’s something we all need, but something that can often be compromised by the habits of modern life.

Experts have described sleep as a hidden health crisis, and studies consistently associate shortened sleep duration with weight gain, risk of myocardial infarction, hypertension, and diabetes, when compared to individuals with normal sleep.

With World Sleep Day falling on 13th March this year, we’d like to raise awareness of the issues that can arise from poor sleep, as well as indicating safe, digital solutions that can improve sleeping habits for yourselves and your patients.

On behalf of NHS organisations, ORCHA tests more apps than anyone else, looking at effectiveness, safety, security and usability. Below are three top scoring apps that we’ve evaluated that can help patients improve their sleeping patterns, leading to improved concentration, productivity and well-being. Click the images below to watch the videos:

 

Sleepio, developed by Big Health Ltd., is designed to improve a user’s long-term sleep pattern by utilising Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, rather than using tablets or other forms of medical interventions.

Read Sleepio’s ORCHA Review here.

 

 

Sleeprate has been developed by Dr Anda Baharav, a sleep expert at Tel Aviv University, who discovered a connection between heart-rate, sleep and stress. The app was built to allow users to track their sleeping pattern, and it integrates with a number of common wearable devices.

Read Sleeprate’s ORCHA Review here.

 

Ambio Sleep Sounds, developed by verygoodapps.com, allows the user to create an atmosphere to aid the sleeping patterns of both themselves and others. Users can create atmospheres and mixes to fit with their individual needs, using either sounds created for Ambio, or sounds from the user’s own device.

Read Ambio Sleep Sounds’ ORCHA Review here.

Due to our continual re-review process, all app scores are subject to change. As such, we’d always encourage you to view our app reviews on our App Library, as this reflects Live data and app updates which are continuously changing. Our re-review process ensures that the most up-to-date information for the latest version of an app can be accessed via our App Library.

About ORCHA

Founded by NHS clinicians, ORCHA is the world’s leading digital health evaluation and distribution organisation. We provide services to national health bodies across three continents, including the NHS in 50% of UK regions, delivering national accreditation frameworks, bespoke Digital Health Libraries, and professional recommendation tools, specific to the needs of our clients. ORCHA’s unique Review Engine assesses digital health solutions against more than 300 measures across Clinical/Professional Assurance, Data & Privacy, and Usability & Accessibility, plus additional criteria depending on needs.

See how ORCHA works

Discover how our services, including Reviews, Digital Health Libraries, and market intelligence reports, can work for your specific needs.

Your Health and Care App Library

Search ORCHA’s App Library, featuring thousands of independent app reviews across a broad spectrum of health conditions. Every app is evaluated against more than 300 measures across Clinical/Professional Assurance, Data & Privacy, and Usability & Accessibility, making it easy for you to find the best apps for your needs.