REmote MOnitoring of Rheumatoid Arthritis (REMORA)
The REMORA study involved the development, testing and evaluation of a smartphone app to remotely monitor symptoms in people living with rheumatoid arthritis to support clinical care and research.
Currently, patients with RA are asked about changes in their condition at clinic appointments that can be up to several months apart, which means patients may struggle to accurately remember the details of these changes.
The app allowed patients to record symptoms on a daily basis and log the impact of their RA between clinic appointments. The data was sent directly to and integrated into the patients' electronic hospital records to help inform the consultations, while anonymised data was also sent to a research database.
Patients and their clinicians were able to use the app data to discuss how the RA had changed since the last appointment. Both patients and clinicians found the app usable, and thought that it collected the right data and provided insight into changes in RA symptoms through time.
The app data also aided shared-decision making between patient and clinician during consultations, and was able to improve recall of symptoms and identify gradual changes in these.
The study also identified the challenges that need to be resolved to adopt remote monitoring and integration of data more widely in the NHS.
A demo version of the REMORA app is available to download here.
More information on the study can be found on the CLAHRC GM website and in the video below.