Unknown Bones, Joints & Muscles NIHR-supported project Mental Health

On the Mend

Funder NIHR (part of DHSC)
Recipient organisation NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Sustainable Innovation
NIHR support Recorded as supported by this research centre
Period Feb 2025 — Ongoing

In plain English

AI plain-English summary

A digital rehabilitation platform called On The Mend gives patients personalised treatment plans and progress tracking on their phones or tablets, while feeding real-time data back to their clinical teams. The problem it tackles is poor adherence to rehabilitation programmes. When patients do not follow through with prescribed exercises and activities, recovery takes longer, hospital stays stretch out, and healthcare costs rise. Current paper-based or generic programmes often fail to keep patients engaged or give clinicians useful feedback between appointments. If the platform works as intended, it could shorten hospital stays and enable earlier discharge by keeping patients on track at home. It would also reduce the burden on clinical teams by automating remote monitoring and flagging issues early. Initially targeting musculoskeletal rehabilitation, On The Mend is expanding into neurological, cardiovascular, COPD, and cancer pathways—meaning it could eventually support recovery from surgery, injury, or long-term conditions across multiple specialties. The platform is designed for use in hospitals, outpatient clinics, community care, and at home, meeting patients wherever they are recovering.

View original technical description
On The Mend is a digital rehabilitation platform designed to support holistic, personalised recovery across a wide range of physical rehabilitation pathways. By delivering tailored treatment plans, progress tracking, and interactive engagement tools, it empowers patients and integrates seamlessly into clinical workflows. The platform addresses the common issue of poor adherence to rehabilitation programmes—a factor that can result in prolonged recovery, extended hospital stays, and increased healthcare costs. On The Mend supports patient self-management, boosts engagement, and reduces the burden on clinical teams. The core objectives are to: Improve adherence to rehabilitation through personalised digital support. Reduce hospital length of stay and enable earlier discharge. Enhance remote monitoring and collaboration between patients and clinicians. Deliver real-time data and insights to inform care decisions. Designed for flexible use across hospitals, outpatient settings, community care, and at-home recovery, On The Mend meets patients where they are. It initially targets musculoskeletal rehabilitation and is expanding into neurological, cardiovascular, COPD, and cancer pathways. The platform is suitable for adults recovering from surgery or injury, or managing long-term conditions.

Researchers

Helen Dawes (Principal Investigator)

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Original classification

Rehabilitation and frailty

Plain English summaries and category classifications on this site are generated by AI and may not perfectly reflect the original research.