Vancouver-based healthtech startup Curatio is working in partnership with the Penticton Regional Hospital (Interior Health) and fellow startup Cloud DX, on a virtual care program designed to assist patients in preparation for joint replacement surgery.
Called “Stronger Together,” Curatio claims 92 percent patient satisfaction with the Okanagan-based program and points to improved patient outcomes following surgery.
“[Stronger Together] fills a gap with regards to the current health care situation globally.”
Stronger Together is designed to improve patient confidence, outcomes, and health literacy. The program relies on a combination of virtual one-on-one coaching from nurses and experts in Curatio’s social health network, the monitoring of key vitals at-home through Cloud DX’s Connected Health Kit, and peer-to-peer social support.
The pilot project also received support from experts at the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University.
“I think [Stronger Together] fills a gap with regards to the current health care situation globally,” said Dr. Michelle Scheepers, one of the pilot project’s clinical leads and an anesthesiologist with Interior Health. “Patients became a lot more interested in their own health and having the peer support.”
In a statement released by Curatio, patients involved in the pilot project spoke of how it improved their ability to monitor mental and physical health before and after surgery, as well what to expect when they returned home for recovery.
“Stronger Together helped me fill in the unknown from the date my knee surgery date was determined, right up to my actual operation,” said participant Ted Hancock.
The program is one of eight COVID-19 response projects that received a portion of British Columbia-based Digital Technology Supercluster’s $60 million investment, announced in June. The $60 million investment was drawn from the Supercluster’s $153 million budget, designed to address some of the biggest challenges faced by the country during the pandemic.
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“Giving patients the daily support they need safely in their homes, while helping doctors and surgeons make the best use of their limited time, benefits everyone,” said Lynda Brown-Ganzert, Curatio’s CEO. “We hope to make this available to all patients, not only in B.C., but around the world.”
Stronger Together is not the only pandemic-related project from Curatio. In March, the company announced it was launching a dedicated peer-support group for survivors and patients of COVID-19, within its mobile platform. The startup said that platform provided a secure and private online environment to connect with other survivors and access information, evidence-based programs, coaching, and daily tracking tools.
In August, Cloud DX received up to $300,000 in advisory services and phase one research and development funding from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Assistance Program (NRC IRAP). Cloud DX planned to use the funds to demonstrate the feasibility of its product, which tracks patient vital signs, including heart rate, temperature, oxygen concentration, blood pressure, and respiration rate.
With its pilot project completed, Curatio is now looking to expand the initiative to include diverse patient populations across Canada, including in the areas of cardiovascular, stroke, mental health, COVID-19 support and more.
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