Irish Healthcare Awards 2021

patientMpower is delighted to have won "Best Use of Information Technology" at the Irish Healthcare Awards 2021, alongside our partners the HSE Digital Transformation Team, in particular Prof Martin Curley and Lorraine Smyth. The partnership scaled virtual care solutions for COVID and other respiratory patients across Ireland, increasing capacity in the Irish health system.  The award also named Galway University Hospital and the Department of Health who have also collaborated with us on a range of respiratory virtual wards and virtual outpatient services.

In response to the hospital capacity crisis brought about by the pandemic almost 9,000 patients with COVID-19 and severe lung disease have been managed at home.

Some highlights from the initiatives awarded include:

• A virtual ward pilot in COPD and asthma showed remote monitoring using the patientMpower technology enabled the community management of disease exacerbations and other complications, resulting in a 89% (€732) cost saving per day compared to hospital admission. The model improved patient experience and resulted in improvements in patient status.  You can read more on the Department of Health's website on this initiative. wThis work was led by Dr Clare Lewis, and we'd also like to acknowledge Deirdre Carroll in the HSE Community Intervention Team, and Aisling Madden from Beaumont Hospital.
• The adult Cystic fibrosis service in Galway University Hospital demonstrated a 65% reduction in length of stay, with early discharge and de-escalation of care driving a €2,400 per patient per year reduction in costs, with significantly enhanced patient experience.
  This Sláintecare funded initiative was led by Stephen Bradish, Irene Maguire & Dr Mike O'Mahony.  
• The rollout of COVID remote monitoring to GP practices was led Dr Dermot Nolan (ICGP Lead for Asthma).  82% of primary care users reported the solution helped them avoid hospital admissions. As an example of individual feedback, stated the programme provided “reassurance to me and my patients, and reduced emergency department presentations and minimised GP exposure to the virus”.
• Experience from St James’s Hospital, presented at the Irish Thoracic Society annual meeting in 2020, found the programme significantly reduced length of stay to an average of 1.9 days (versus standard practice of 10 day admission during first wave) and was a safe discharge option that protected the healthcare system during the pandemic.
  The work in St James's was led by Peter Coss, Gemma Garvan, Liam Townsend, Anne Marie McLaughlin and Paddy Nadarajan.

In addition to these examples, the patientMpower team worked with healthcare teams in every county in Ireland in deploying this program. We'd like to thank each and every one of them who all share in this award through their used of virtual care solutions in responding to the pandemic.

Finally, the entire patientMpower team who have worked incredibly hard over the last few years also deserve huge credit for building, maintaining and supporting these virtual care solutions across Ireland.