IBD (General)
DigitalHealth.London accelerator company Ampersand Health launches self-care courses to help people with Crohn’s or Colitis improve their health and quality of life.
With health systems around the world creaking under the unimaginable strain of COVID-19, people with a host of long term conditions are being told to stay away from hospitals, except when in the greatest need. Today, Ampersand Health announces the launch of a mobile application developed to help some of the most at-risk improve their self-care.
My IBD Care’s Lifestyle and Wellbeing courses can be used long-term to help people have more control over their lives with Crohn’s or Colitis. Engaging with these expert-led courses could help in prolonging patient’s periods of remission, as well as keeping flare-ups at bay.
This lifestyle and wellbeing support has been sought-after by patients for some time. The 2017 Crohn’s & Colitis UK’s Quality of Life survey reported that 47% of those with Crohn’s or Colitis say their condition impacts their mental health. Even for those in remission, pain and fatigue are consistently reported, which can have negative knock-on effects for an individual’s sleep and exercise habits.
“At a time where some individuals on immunosuppressants, steroids or biologic medicines are advised to self-isolate, this digital therapeutic is a timely tool for maintaining health and happiness at home,” said Dr Bu’ Hayee, Consultant Gastroenterologist at King’s College Hospital and co-founder at Ampersand.
“The fact that I can now direct my patients to My IBD Care to help them maintain their health and wellbeing, is very powerful,” adds Dr Gareth Parkes, Consultant Gastroenterologist at Bart’s Health and co-founder at Ampersand. “Importantly, the courses are evidence-based and led by credible experts, and patients benefit from a library of educational content from the national charity as well as a host of tracking and reminder options”.
During these unusual times, My IBD Care helps healthcare systems focus on short term threats, by helping patients address the psychological burden of isolation whilst supporting them to self-manage. Hospitals can also offer the app to patients, enabling remote monitoring and helping the at-risk to stay out of hospital safely.
Ana Ibarra, IBD Nurse Specialist at The Royal London said: “This app transforms the support available for people living with IBD, giving them access to so much guidance on lifestyle and psychological topics that we often don’t have time to discuss in clinic. It couldn’t come at a better time for the long term wellbeing of my patients.
————————————————————————————————————————–
About Ampersand Health
Ampersand Health is a social purpose company, founded by doctors and patients to improve the health and happiness of people with long term inflammatory conditions.
The company is pioneering the development of behavioural- and data-science based digital therapy for people with immune-mediated diseases like Crohn’s, Colitis, Arthritis and Psoriasis.
Ampersand Health is recognised in the Digital Health Global 100, and has won the HSJ Award, the NHS Ideas Lab, the NHS Hackfest and competitive grants from government and industry. The company was selected for the 2018/19 PWC Scale Health programme and the NHS’s 2019/20 DigitalHealth. London accelerator.
Contacts
NHS enquiries: Jeremy Andrews, (jeremy@ampersandhealth.co.uk)
Other enquiries: info@ampersand.health
Get access to Lifestyle and Wellbeing courses, and more!
The My IBD Care app offers access to a range of courses to help you learn about and deal with IBD, and includes additional features to support your self-management.
