Advice

Summary

Summary

  • The technology described in this briefing is CFHealthHub. It is a digital platform to help adults with cystic fibrosis (CF) manage their condition and monitor their medicine use.

  • The innovative aspects are that it allows remote access to monitor medicines adherence. This is done by analysing usage data that is recorded and transmitted by the 2 most widely used nebulisers. This allows people to attend virtual clinics and supports people with CF while they are shielding from COVID‑19. CFHealthHub also includes educational and behaviour change tools to support people to increase their knowledge, skills and confidence when managing their own health and care (patient activation).

  • The intended place in therapy would be at home, linking adults with CF to their clinical teams in specialist care, for continuous monitoring and remote regular review appointments.

  • The main points from the evidence summarised in this briefing are from 1 randomised feasibility study and 2 economic studies including a total of 46 adults with CF in England. The economic studies report that CFHealthHub is cost effective compared with standard care in adults with CF. The feasibility study reported that a full-sized randomised controlled trial (RCT) was feasible. An RCT of 607 people with CF across 19 UK CF centres was completed in 2019 and results are expected to be published later in 2020.

  • Key uncertainties around the evidence or technology are that the RCT of CFHealthHub has not yet been published and so there is currently no comparative evidence showing its effectiveness. CFHealthHub cannot currently monitor adherence to oral therapies.

  • The cost negotiated by CFHealthHub for the eTrack nebulisers is £1,600 per unit (excluding VAT), plus an additional annual data transfer charge of £191 per patient. Currently there is no charge for CF centres to use the CFHealthHub digital platform. From April 2021 the intervention developers expect to charge CF centres around £200 to £300 per person with CF, per year. This is to cover platform running costs. The resource impact would be in addition to standard care. Savings could be made by improving medicine adherence. This may reduce medicine wastage (estimated by the intervention developer to save around £1,300 per year, per person with CF) and lower the risk of exacerbations that lead to hospitalisation.