Led by the UMCG, a consortium of healthcare partners has the ambition to make leg amputation patients, and users of leg prostheses more mobile, better informed and therefore – literally – and figuratively – more powerful. A platform (Kort&Fit) has been set up with Clinicards with the aim of giving this target group and the caregivers more tools that promote self-management, autonomy and self-reliance, thus contributing to the quality of life. Clinicards allow patients to track pain scores and mood, measure (adjusted) BMI, see trends in activity (steps) and exercise, and store data on prosthesis, among other things. A questionnaire also focuses on the caregiver. Data can be shared at various stages of the post-operative journey with various healthcare providers around the country including rehabilitation physicians and orthopedic instrument makers. Depending on the relevant care pathway, the patient receives the right information at the right times throughout the pathway.

For health care providers, Short&Fit means that the patient is better informed, can act earlier on certain problems and comes to the consultation less for minor issues. Because of its monitoring feature, the app allows for a better understanding of how the patient is doing in the home environment. This also allows earlier (preventive) contact.

At OLVG, Clinicards was used in bariatric surgery for a clinical study to demonstrate the extent to which remote care would increase patients’ sense of safety. After a day’s admission, patients are sent home with Clinicards and a linked sensor for measuring vitals. Over the course of a week, patients were contacted at home via Clinicards by an inpatient physician at the hospital to discuss results via image calling. Results show significant improvement in feelings of safety (publication follows).

A second study has begun that will examine the extent to which the patient can actually go home earlier.