An evaluation has found people with rheumatoid arthritis can benefit from a new app that lets them become more involved in decisions about their treatment – and opens the way to the technology being used for other long-term conditions.

The Scottish Quality Registry (ScotQR) app, developed by Healthcare Improvement Scotland, NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, allows people to self-report and report their experiences and symptoms.

Patients using ScotQR complete a short digital questionnaire ahead of appointments with their consultant, to facilitate a better, more comprehensive conversation between patient and doctor.

According to Dr Elizabeth Murphy, a consultant rheumatologist at NHS Lanarkshire, this allows for more person-focused treatment that can reduce time in hospital:

“Using ScotQR provides a good prompt for the doctor or other healthcare professional, and the patient to ensure everything the patient wants to cover in the consultation is discussed.

“Our aim is to enable people to live as normal a life as they can, with fewer visits to hospital.” 

Data from around 100 people attending clinics around NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde was collected in the initial pilot study.

The study concludes that wider use of the app will offer immediate benefits to patient care and create a more responsive service for patients who are physically isolated, as well as reduce waiting times by prioritising those most in need. 

More than 44,000 people in Scotland are though to impacted by rheumatoid arthritis, a painful disease that seriously affects quality of life, which costs the NHS around £42m a year.

Lindsay Mills, who has arthritis and took part in the pilot, said:

“Using the app gave me an opportunity to think ahead about what I wanted to discuss with my doctor and write it down.

“The app helps you focus on what is relevant to bring up at an appointment.

“I think the app is a very good idea and I definitely benefited from using it.”

Of the participants, 95% felt positive about using the app and 89% indicated they would be willing to try using ScotQR at home, which is the focus of the next stage of the study.

Dr Simon Watson, Medical Director for Healthcare Improvement Scotland, said the tech could be used for other chronic conditions.

He says: “I think ScotQR is a hugely helpful approach and with appropriate development could support people with other long-term conditions in a similar way.”

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