Birmingham and Worcester universities creating app to care for babies with complex heart disease
The app is undergoing development and testing ahead of launch in 2026-27
A project to design a mobile app by universities in Birmingham and Worcester could 'revolutionise' care for babies with complex heart disease.
The Congenital Heart Assessment Tool would allow users to share live updates and upload photos, allowing them to access immediate help from their cardiac team.
Professor Kerry Gaskin from Birmingham City University and Dr Chris Bowers from the University of Worcester have co-developed the app which they say would aim to 'transform' support for parents of babies and children.
"About one in every hundred babies are born with a heart problem and for some of these babies that heart problem is more severe," Prof Gaskin said.
"We know that that first year of life is a critical time for these babies and we want them to be able to let the healthcare professionals know quickly if something deteriorates so things can be put in place and advice can be given about what they need to do.
"Having the digitised tool means that we can get that information quickly across to the healthcare team so that they can quickly kind of respond to any changes."
Development of the app follows the making of paper-based CHAT diary developed in 2012 with the support of families of babies undergoing specialist care at Birmingham Children’s Hospital’s Cardiology Service and the charity Little Hearts Matter.
Dr Chris Bowers from University of Worcester and project co-lead, said: “This is an example of how the careful and considered application of technology in very challenging and emotive circumstances can help not only improve outcomes for infants but also the experience of parents and healthcare professionals.”
The app is undergoing development and testing ahead of launch in 2026-27.
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