[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/6688\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ESmartphones can help ease the burden of heart failure - Sofia March\u00e3\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWho is at risk of developing heart failure?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018High blood pressure, raised cholesterol and diabetes are risk factors for heart failure, while genetics, age and family history also play a role.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018However, behaviour also has an effect. Smoking and an unhealthy diet, for example, increase the chance of developing heart diseases in general and certainly don\u0027t help someone who has been diagnosed with heart failure.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is it like to live with the condition?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018It is physically debilitating as well as socially and psychologically overwhelming. It causes shortness of breath, fatigue and swelling of the ankles, for example, which can reduce mobility. If you are walking you can get the sensation that your heart is racing and even simple activities like vacuuming around the house can be a struggle. It\u2019s a challenge for people that have to go to work every day.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The physical limitations can cause a great deal of anxiety and stress in patients. They receive a lot of advice but don\u2019t always find it easy to translate it into their daily lives. Patients have to take a lot of medication throughout the day, they have to regularly track their heart rate and weight. It significantly affects a person\u0027s quality of life - you can\u0027t just get on with your day.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow is the EU-funded HeartMan project aiming to help?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We are developing a virtual coach to support heart failure patients so they can better manage their disease on a day-to-day basis. The system consists of a wristband that can monitor heart rate, acceleration and skin temperature, for example, that transmits the information to a smartphone app. The software sends patients reminders and can alert them when they need to take medication or measure their blood pressure or weight, which they can record directly in the system.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018It is meant to be tailored to individual patients as much as possible. Some people may only need a few reminders a day whereas others may prefer to be sent notifications more often.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u2018HeartMan is designed to give heart failure patients extra support in everyday tasks and routine, so it will hopefully contribute to improving patients\u2019 overall quality of life.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003ESofia March\u00e3, European Heart Network, Belgium\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The app also gives personalised advice on physical exercise and nutrition which is continuously monitored by the treating physicians or caregiver. The exercise programme is adapted to a patient\u0027s physical capabilities and they can choose which exercises they want to perform and when. The dietary suggestions are based on their knowledge of appropriate nutrition, their prescribed diet and what they are actually eating.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECan the app help with the psychological impact of the condition as well?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0027Yes, it also offers psychological support, cognitive behavioural therapy and mindfulness exercises. If a patient\u0027s heart rate is elevated because they are experiencing a moment of high anxiety, there is the option to play mindfulness games to calm them and refocus attention. The cognitive behavioural therapy mostly consists of pop-up messages that aim to reduce unhealthy behaviour and improve adherence to the therapeutic routine.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWill the system also be of use to doctors?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Treating physicians often do not see patients for two or three months between consultations. It is difficult for anybody to remember what they have done over the course of a month or more. So doctors will have access to data collected about the patient between consultations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018By accessing the information on the server, doctors will have an overview of whether a patient is adhering to therapy, variations in heart rate and weight, changes in physical endurance, and if they have been following dietary recommendations.\u0026nbsp; All of this data is key to inform treatment decisions.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWere patients involved in designing the app?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018HeartMan follows a human-centred design approach, which means that patients and caregivers informed the design and initial mock-ups were evaluated by potential users. In 2018 we will also have a group of patients testing a trial version of the app and system, so it is continuously being improved based on feedback we get.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018It is important to note that heart failure occurs predominantly in the older population, so the app needs to be very user-friendly for people who are not adept at using technology. We need to make sure that it\u2019s not too overwhelming in terms of features and reminders, and that it displays the most important features prominently and accessibly.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018A working prototype is currently in development, but the wristband is already available while the mobile app is still being tweaked.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/bit.ly\/newsalertsignup\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003E\u003Cimg class src=\u0022https:\/\/horizon-magazine.eu\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/news-alert-final.jpg\u0022 alt width=\u0022983\u0022 height=\u0022222\u0022\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EApart from helping people with heart failure, could the system have other applications in the future?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0027Although it is specifically designed to help manage heart failure, many of the components could easily be adapted to create apps that help prevent or manage other chronic diseases. There is a lot of discussion about how being physically active and having an appropriate diet can not only help prevent many conditions, but also influence how patients respond to medication.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Using wristbands, apps and smartwatches to help people make healthy choices is becoming increasingly popular. If the trial is successful, a reduction in hospital stays and other healthcare-related costs could also be expected. HeartMan, however, is designed to give heart failure patients extra support in everyday tasks and routine, so it will hopefully contribute to improving patients\u2019 overall quality of life.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EIf you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-50c1gp8qpspxt0t7ktsu5iydn779-ybsgygxrqj4xv8\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-50C1gP8QpSPxT0t7kTSu5Iydn779-ybsGygXRQj4xV8\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]