U.K. app prescribes quality videos to your patients with heart disease
Heart disease remains the number one killer in the United States. Each year in the U.S. over 600,000 die of heart disease (1 in 4 deaths) and over 700,000 have myocardial infarctions. The impact of atrial fibrillation (afib) is astounding with up to 6 million people suffering from this most common cardiac arrhythmia. The combined costs of these two conditions — which frequently coexist — is in billions of dollars.
Despite these staggering statistics, it can still be a challenge to take time to review the common aspects of these conditions with patients, including the importance of medication adherence and side effects. Finding quality handouts/videos can be challenging.
Here on iMedicalApps we have reviewed several apps from the U.K.’s NHS including Polypharmacy Guidance and have favorably reviewed many others including Antimicrobial Companion, and NHS24 MSK. The NHS is even giving away millions of apps and devices to patients to promote population health. One of the latest apps from the NHS focuses on cardiovascular disease, specifically myocardial infarction and atrial fibrillation. MedTap comes from an NHS group/hospital in London (Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation) who specializes in cardiovascular disease. The app uses high quality, short videos (fully off-lined in the app) featuring U.K. physicians discussing critical aspects of these two conditions (and related issues) in clear language appropriate for nearly everyone.
The app covers topics such as medicines after a heart attack, anticoagulants in atrial fibrillation and frequently asked questions relating to side-effects and supply. There are plans to continue to update the app and cover additional related topics in the future.
Evidence-based medicine
MedTap does not contain PubMed-type references for any of its content but comes from a reputable source with links back to the NHS website. The app videos and content were designed by and feature UK NHS cardiovascular physicians.
What providers would benefit from this App?
Patients and their family members, students, residents, mid-levels, family medicine, internal medicine, and cardiologists. It could be prescribed to any patient with a history of an MI or afib.
Price
o Free.
Likes
o Easy-to-follow interface covering topics involving MI and afib
o Videos work without internet/cellular connection
o Available for Android
Dislikes
o App is limited to just the topics of MI and afib
o No patient handouts, just videos and text
o U.K. app may be less applicable to a U.S. audience, but most information should be comparable to U.S. guidelines
Overall
MedTap is a high-quality app from the NHS of the U.K. for patients with heart disease and/or afib. For providers and patients alike who may not have time for bedside education, this app can fill numerous gaps and provide ongoing education/reminders. The app contains high quality, easy to use videos which are fully off-line and do not require an internet connection to view.
Overall Score
o 4.5 stars.
User Interface
o 4.5 stars.
Easy to use with ability to take notes, make favorites, etc.
Multimedia Usage
o 5.0 stars.
The app contains numerous high-quality videos and links to outside sources.
Price
o 5.0 stars.
App is free.
Real-World Applicability
o 4.5 stars.
Any G.P. in the U.K. definitely could use this app. However, I think most primary care providers in the U.S. and elsewhere could prescribe the app to smartphone savvy patients and/or show the videos to them in clinic. Providers in cardiovascular medicine, in particular, may want to consider sharing this app with their patients. The content solely focuses on MI and afib which may limit generalizability.
Device Used For Review
o iPhone 8S running iOS 12.4.
Available for Download for iPhone, iPad, and Android.
Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the official policy of the Department of the Army, the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government.
