UMH Develops App to Reduce Hospitalisations for Immunodeficiency Patients

The Miguel Hernández University of Elche, in collaboration with the Hospital Universitari i Politècnic La Fe de València, has developed a mobile application that allows individuals with primary immunodeficiencies to self-manage their condition from home, undergo remote monitoring, and ultimately, significantly improve their quality of life.

"These patients require continuous multidisciplinary monitoring, which translates into frequent hospital visits and a considerable impact on their family and work life," explain the app's developers, who believe it could help reduce hospital admissions among this patient group.

"Among the numerous challenges faced by these individuals are complex treatments, long-term monitoring, the need for continuous education on self-care, and a significant psychosocial impact," details Pedro Moral Moral, coordinator of the Primary Immunodeficiencies Unit at La Fe's Internal Medicine Service, in a statement.

To address these challenges, the IDPBook app functions as an electronic health diary, facilitating the management of symptoms, infectious episodes, medical appointments, and treatments, among other parameters.

Specifically, it incorporates six modules: personal patient information, disease status monitoring, medical appointment management, clinical documentation archive, direct contact with the healthcare team, and connection with patient networks.

With these features, patients can record any changes in their health in real-time, communicate with their medical team on a scheduled basis, and receive personalised reminders. Additionally, the app facilitates access to patient associations to create a support network.

The application will be tested in 13 Spanish hospitals, including Doctor Balmis in Alicante, in both adult and paediatric units, with 70 patients and 30 healthcare professionals.