NORTHERN Ireland charity the Children’s Heartbeat Trust has launched the world’s first app for teenagers with congenital heart disease (CHD).
The mobile phone app is designed to help teenagers with CHD to manage their condition and to assist with the transition from paediatric to adult health care. Information about the use of medication, the teenager's condition, and the facility to keep in contact with their doctors and medical team are available via the app, called CHD Transition NI.
Developed by the Children’s Heartbeat Trust and funded by the Belfast Health & Social Care Trust, the app was launched along with a book based on innovative research carried out with children who have congenital heart disease in Northern Ireland. Congenital Heart Disease and Neurodevelopment is edited by Professor Christopher McCusker and Dr Frank Casey of the Clark Clinic in the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children.
“Launching not just one, but two examples of innovation in health from Northern Ireland is exciting for all families living with CHD,” Children’s Heartbeat Trust chief executive Sarah Quinlan said at Monday's launch.
"While Dr McCusker and Dr Casey’s book shows how our clinicians have worked to develop the best possible care for children with CHD, the app shows the practical steps that are being taken to help teenagers learn to cope with their condition."
Medical techniques developed and refined by clinicians in the north are now being used across Europe, and are considered to be at the forefront of CHD care for children, according to the Children's Heartbeat Trust.
