CONNECT – digital tool to support decision making for cardiac angioplasty patients and their families

Co-design and development of a digital decision aid for use by patients and health professionals to enhance the shared decision-making process for cardiac angioplasty.

Project Partners

  • NIHR Devices for Dignity HRC
  • University of Huddersfield
  • Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust
  • Calderdale NHS Foundation Trust
  • GrowMedTech

Health and Care Requirement

Research led by the University of Huddersfield studied the way the process by which people living with stable angina made decisions regarding coronary angioplasty, including the views of patients and cardiologists at ten NHS Trusts in England.  This research identified that patients would benefit from new methods and tools to improve the supported decision making process prior to coronary angioplasty, to support patients and families to be fully informed about their treatment options and the risks, benefits and potential outcomes, and enhance involvement in the decision-making and informed consent process.

The Project Concept

The team established a working group involving expert patients, doctors and nurses working in cardiology, academics with expertise in cardiology care and decision aid development) and NIHR Devices for Dignity’s technology expertise, and hosted a series of co-design workshops involving patients who have had coronary angioplasty and cardiology healthcare professionals to get vital input on the content, design and purpose of the decision tool.

Building on this multi-stakeholder consultation, the CONNECT team have created a prototype digital decision aid which is now being rigorously reviewed and tested by potential users to inform the next stage of iterative co-development.

D4D are providing:

  • Proof of market and competitor analysis
  • Regulatory advice
  • Co-design engagement
  • Prototype platform and content design and development
  • Value proposition and commercialisation strategy
  • Funding bid writing expertise

Next stage of development:

The CONNECT team are incorporating user feedback in the next stage of the digital decision aid product development, engaging with Trusts nationally to extend stakeholder testing, and developing a commercialisation route-map.

Funding

This project is in receipt of GrowMedTech Proof of Market funding to progress the project’s development beyond initial research findings by undertaking a comprehensive market opportunity study, and Proof of Feasibility funding to create a prototype device.