The Innovation Agency created a North West Coast Atrial Fibrillation (AF) Collaborative to enable GPs to better identify patients with AF and improve management of the condition. To date, the Collaborative has involved 71 GP practices in the CCG areas of Warrington, East Lancashire, Blackburn with Darwen, West Cheshire and Wirral. The Collaborative has facilitated the delivery of AF educational sessions and materials, the distribution of Kardia Mobile ECG devices and Quality Improvement (QI) training and support in developing and implementing practice improvement plans.
The national roll out of mobile ECG devices by Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs) was born out of a system-wide procurement initiative to promote the uptake of a digital technology (mobile ECG). This was a novel approach to facilitate innovation adoption which prompted the AHSN Network to commission an independent evaluation of the roll out, at AHSN level, to understand its effectiveness, and in particular what can be learned about: the environments in which the devices are most effective, what characterises an effective implementation package, the impact on the market place, patients (through AF detection) and providers; and the health economic aspects of this type of programme.