SUDEP Action

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EpSMon showcased as a Cornish bred healthcare innovation at G7 Summit

G7 flags

 

EpSMon (EPilepsy Self MONitoring), the freely downloadable epilepsy app developed as a collaboration between an Oxfordshire based charity and Cornwall based clinicians, has been showcased as part of the G7 Summit, happening 11-13th June in Cornwall. 
 

The G7 Summit will see political leaders from UK, USA, Canada, Japan, Germany, France and Italy, plus the EU, meeting in Cornwall to discuss key worldwide issues; and is an opportunity to promote the innovations produced across the County.

Cornwall House is an exhibition telling the story of how, within a rural economy, the region’s innovative, creative and emerging sectors hold the answers to some of the biggest questions world leaders are asking.  The exhibition focuses on 5 key areas highlighting the sectors and opportunities which position Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly as a leading region in the green and digital industrial revolution.

Within the innovation zone e-Health Productivity and Innovation in Cornwall (EPIC), a project led by the University of Plymouth and funded by the European Regional Development Fund is showcasing some of the enterprises it currently supports with the development of eHealth innovations

EpSMon is the digital patient version of the free clinical Seizure and Safety Checklist tool, and has had over 4,000 downloads across the UK since its launch in 2015. It is supported by a Development Group of leading experts in the field, and is entirely funded by epilepsy bereaved families supported by SUDEP Action, in memory of their loved ones.

 


Through the pandemic, as risks for people with epilepsy have risen, the EpSMon project has also received support across the South-West by organisations Psychoanalytica, SUVO, and EPIC who are working with SUDEP Action to accelerate uptake of the app.

Through a short series of questions, checking against known epilepsy and health risks, EpSMon is able to quickly provide information and a recommendation to people living with epilepsy on any risks, supporting communication with health professionals, when risks are worsening. 

This vital information has the potential to save young lives, as at least 21 people with epilepsy die prematurely each week in the UK, and at least 42% of deaths due to their epilepsy (including those due to Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy; SUDEPare thought to be preventable through improved risk information and better engagement with health services.

SUDEP Action, Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Royal Cornwall Hospital developed the app in 2015 to help people with epilepsy to better understand and monitor their epilepsy, epilepsy risks and overall wellbeing.

Since then the app has won five prestigious health awards (including from the British Medical Journal, and Health Service Journal’s Patient Safety awards), has taken part in the NHS Innovation Accelerator Programme, during which is was part of the NHS’s 70th birthday celebrations, and most recently has been reviewed by ORCHA (an independent health app reviewer), and adopted into their app library. Two recent national reports into deaths in people with learning disabilities, and doubling of deaths in expectant/new mums have also recommended EpSMon as a solution to help reduce avoidable epilepsy deaths, and improve the lives of those living with the condition.


          
 

Find out more about EpSMon: www.sudep.org/epsmon or contact [email protected]
Learn about it’s companion tool, the SUDEP and Seizure Safety Checklist: www.sudep.org/checklist

For free epilepsy risk information: https://sudep.org/epilepsy-and-risk