UZA | FIBRICHECK

Universitair Ziekenhuis Antwerpen (ZNA) and FibriCheck developed a digital care track for patients with cardiac arrhythmias, to deliver healthcare at distance. Because of Covid-19, patients postponed non-urgent visits to the hospital. However, it was very important that their health status could properly be monitored, to prevent strokes.

In addition to the telemedicine consultations, FibriCheck added an app to monitor patients for cardiac arrhythmias. The app was already developed for a particular type of cardiac arrhythmia that causes strokes. Together with the cardiology department at UZA, FibriCheck further developed and completed the app into a full-fledged support of the digital care track.

Working on innovative solutions goes faster in a well-cooperating team

Hein Heidbuchel (UZA): "First we thought about the strategy of how to incorporate FibriCheck in the teleconsultation. Once this blueprint was established, the (tele)consultation software of UZA was updated for this purpose.  

Our team first screened the patient database for their smartphone use. We guided the selected patients: installing the FibriCheck app on the phone and learning to take digital health measurements at home. The results of those measurements were shown to the doctor via a data platform and he could immediately determine the right care from a distance. The patient got a correct medical follow-up without a visit to the hospital."

The next step was to systematically implement the process in daily care to use this digital track as well after the Covid crisis.  
Lien Desteghe (postdoctoral researcher at UZA): "It happened in less than two weeks; we had to move fast. We could count on the support of FibriCheck. Moreover, this digital care track has also been proposed to other hospitals as well."