Trial of smartphone app to manage cirrhosis begins recruiting patients

Trial of smartphone app to manage cirrhosis begins recruiting patients - CirrhoCare app. Credit: CyberLiver. A smartphone enabled management system to enhance the care of patients with severe liver disease who are being discharged from hospital, is to be assessed in a trial led by UCL and the Royal Free Hospital, London. The system, called CirrhoCare, aims to improve care for people with advanced cirrhosis (scarring of the liver) who have recently been hospitalised - a group at high risk of severe ill health, of whom 37% are re-admitted to hospital within a month. CirrhoCare includes a patient-facing app linked to smart devices designed to capture cirrhosis-related complications. It enables clinicians to monitor patients' health remotely, allowing them to respond quickly if complications arise, with community-based interventions. A pilot study in 2020, looking at 20 patients using the app alongside 20 controls receiving standard care, found that CirrhoCare reduced hospital readmissions by 38% over an average of 10 weeks, and substantially reduced hospital resource requirements, such as outpatient fluid drainage, by 80%.