Bradford Teaching Hospitals to deploy UK-first remote examination device

Bradford Teaching Hospitals is to become the first in the UK to partner with a telehealth platform for remote medical examinations.

Tyto Care is a handheld modular examination device that enables physical exams of the heart, lungs, skin, ears, throat and abdomen, as well as measuring body temperature and heart rate to enable clinicians to make a remote diagnosis of an acute situation.

The trust will use the device to carry out remote examinations and diagnoses with a cohort of young patients, with acute and worsening chronic conditions.

The project will be spearheaded by the trust’s Ambulatory Care Experience (ACE) team, which brings care to unwell children from the comfort of their own home and prevents unnecessary admissions to hospitals.

Cindy Fedell, the trust’s chief digital and information officer, said: “This ‘digital-first’ approach to care, where we put health in the hands and homes of patients, is a linchpin of the NHS’s long-term telehealth plan.

“It also marks a milestone in our journey of digital innovation, which is already gathering pace thanks to other ground-breaking projects now in place in Bradford.

“These include the launch of [a] Command Centre to improve the flow of patients around our hospitals, and the appointment of our inaugural head of clinical artificial intelligence.”

During a virtual consultation, clinical visual and audio data is captured by the device and sent to a clinician.

Clinicians can then deliver a full examination as well as one-to-one consultations in real time or at a later date.

They can also link to local pharmacies where a prescription can be ordered, allowing the child or young person to be managed entirely in their own home.

The device received FDA clearance in 2016 and secured CE Mark approval in 2019.

Dedi Gilad, chief executive and co-founder of Tyto Care, said: “We are proud to partner with Bradford Teaching Hospitals to implement our telehealth solution and make an impact on a community that will benefit enormously from remote care.

“Tyto was created with children and families in mind to deliver convenient and accessible medical care without compromising quality, all from the comfort of home. We’re looking forward to enhancing the incredible work Bradford and the ACE teams are doing with existing at-home care.”