Guaranteeing continuity of care during the lockdown and beyond

TeleCheck-AF remote screening project goes live across Europe

It’s no secret the COVID-19 pandemic is placing enormous pressure on our healthcare system. Capacity in our hospitals and clinics is stretched thin. And some patients may find it hard to get to the hospital in the first place. So how do you continue to provide quality care while ensuring the safety of patients and healthcare professionals alike? The FibriCheck app is already providing an answer as part of a new Europe-wide remote screening programme: TeleCheck-AF. 

Remote monitoring solution for cardiologists

For many heart patients who depend on regular consultations and check-ups to monitor their condition, the FibriCheck app offers a highly effective and reliable alternative during the current quarantine period. The medically approved app makes it easy for patients to monitor their own heart rhythm over an extended period using only their smartphone. And while the app itself is not new, the way it is now being used by doctors and clinics during the current COVID-19 pandemic is!

Standard Operating Procedure for clinics throughout Europe

Under the TeleCheck-AF programme, use of the FibriCheck app has become standard operating procedure for a growing number of clinics throughout Europe. “The use of the app is ‘prescribed’ to patients, as it were,” explains Dr Dominik Linz, cardiologist at Maastricht University Medical Center (MUMC) who is responsible for pioneering the programme. “It’s a different, but effective way of providing care.” 

4-step programme enables patients to generate highly reliable data from home

Patients with atrial fibrillation use the FibriCheck app to take regular measurements of their heart rhythm and heart rate as part of a 4-step remote monitoring programme:

The information gathered is highly specific and clearly focused, thus eliminating the risk of data overload for the attending physician. On the contrary, the measurements provide doctors with highly reliable data and clear insights for deciding on an appropriate course of treatment. Most importantly, however, the entire process is 100% digital without patients even having to leave their home. This makes the whole process safer for everyone without compromising on the quality of care.

TeleCheck-AF: facts and figures

Health on demand as the new normal?

While FibriCheck offers an ideal solution for remote monitoring during the current crisis, it also answers the call for a more efficient, more cost-effective and smarter use of mobile technology in the field of healthcare generally:

“Thanks to the app, we are able to continue treating our patients safely, without them having to come to the hospital. And I don’t rule out the possibility that we will continue to use this method even after the coronavirus crisis has abated,” states Dr Linz.

Want to learn more about the TeleCheck-AF programme? Visit www.telecheck-af.com  and read a summary of the TeleCheck-AF project featured on the website of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

Created on April 22nd, 2020 at 08:39 am