Cardiovascular disease, including coronary artery disease, currently affects around seven million people in the UK.
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has awarded grants of more than £800,000 to five research projects as part of its Healthcare Innovation Awards to improve the delivery of vital healthcare for patients.
The project, which consists of artificial intelligence (AI) and stethoscopes to give people living in remote areas digital access to mental health services, is set to receive between £100,000 and £300,000 funding through the Healthcare Innovation Fund (HIF).
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) affects around seven million people in the UK, including coronary heart disease, the most common form of heart and circulatory disease, which affects around 2.3 million people in the UK.
HIF supports research that aims to examine and improve existing services and care for people with heart disease across the UK.
Researchers from Imperial College London, Hull York Medical School, University Hospital Leicester, Jubilee University National Hospital and University Hospital of Wales have been selected to receive the funding.
Research projects will explore a range of areas including how AI-enabled digital stethoscopes can improve the diagnosis and treatment of commonly undiagnosed cardiac conditions such as heart failure, atrial fibrillation (AF) and valvular heart disease, how ambulance services can help doctors spot AF in patients who have not been diagnosed, how to improve the speed of access to care for heart failure patients, psychological therapy delivery using computerised cognitive behavioural therapy to provide mental health support for implantable cardioverter defibrillator patients, and the evaluation of a new 12-week exercise programme designed for adults with congenital heart disease.
Professor Brian Williams, BHF’s chief scientific and medical officer, said: “Our Healthcare Innovation Funding Awards are vital in our mission to drive radical improvements in the care that heart patients receive.
“We are pleased to be able to fund five innovative projects in this first round and look forward to watching them progress.”
In June, a study Published In BMJThe study, conducted by researchers from the Universities of Glasgow, Oxford, Leicester and KU Leuven, identifies changing trends and persistent challenges in heart health and CVD in the UK.
