Aseptika has launched the SENSOR I iPad app, which is designed to support clinical studies in respiratory research, and for use by people with long-term respiratory conditions who want to self-monitor and self-manage their health at home.

The SENSOR suite of apps was designed and trialled in collaboration with an NHS Trust in a recently-completed clinical trial in Hampshire, funded by NHS England, through the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) Healthcare programme.

The app has been designed for use by people of any age, but is especially inclusive for older patients; the colourful user interface, step-by-step instructions and motivational messages enable the user to collect 40 vital signs and questions about their daily health, in less than 10 minutes a day.

The volunteer patients were able to measure daily, without supervision: lung function by simple spirometry; blood oxygen saturation; blood pressure; heart rate; and levels of physical activity and body composition. The trial also included a number of questions capturing the data routinely requested in paper-based questionnaires, which are generally only undertaken at the start, middle and end of research studies. Aseptika said the response of volunteers who took part in the trial, whose average age was 67, was highly positive.

The SENSOR I app collects and displays the data on that day for the key vital signs and displays these to the user but the user does not see the longitudinal data that is most useful in clinical research studies. The data is simultaneously uploaded to Activ8rlives’ UK-based web-servers for review as a cohort by clinical teams through a dedicated clinician portal in Activ8rlives. The ownership of the data is retained by the user at all times, but can be shared, with their permission, with the ecosystem of care workers, supporters and family who are involved in their care.

The SENSOR II app will be released shortly. In this version, users in future randomised controlled trials will be able to see their longitudinal data, as they record their vital signs on a daily basis to enable them to self-monitor and self-manage their respiratory disease at home and to watch for signs of impending ill health associated with respiratory exacerbations.

“The release of the SENSOR I app via the Apple Store is an important milestone for Aseptika,” said Aseptika managing director, Kevin Auton. “It supports the increasing use of self-monitoring at home by the patient as policymakers shift the balance of care from hospitals to the home and the community throughout the EU. The SENSOR App suite are tools which can be used to facilitate a new partnership between the patient and their clinical teams and complement the new Activ8rlives v3.0 App, which shares many of the same features as SENSOR but is designed for use by the consumer.”

SENSOR I and the Activ8rlives 3.0 Apps are free to download. There is no charge to the patient for the use of Activ8rlives to securely and confidentially store their data. The decision to share data with clinical teams remains at the sole discretion of the user.