Grant: Catalyst Grant: Personalized Health Catalyst Grants

For patients with end-stage disease, like cirrhosis, their only treatment option is life-saving organ transplantation. The wait for an organ can take many years over which the patient's condition continues to deteriorate as there is no other treatment. However, maintaining physical activity and a good nutritional intake is necessary to remain on the wait and have successful health outcomes post-transplantation. For many patients, this situation is challenging to balance. Driven by our patient experiences and limitations of pre-transplant care, we are using eHealth to create an accessible, home-based, interactive app. With attention to the nuances of gender and diversity in the Canadian population, our two year research will identify motivational behavior predictors. These will be incorporated into a hybrid app/web-based platform, HEAL-C. Patients, who will be pre-registered by their physician, will have regular access to a physiotherapist and registered dietitian. Personalized physical activity and nutrition regimens suitable to the patient will be created. The HEAL-C team will work with the patient to monitor progress using wearable technology and online tools, modify the regimens in response to changes in health and performance, and provide support. Evaluation of HEAL-C's influence on improving personal outcomes will then be evaluated in a pilot trial. Our work is supported by our industry partner, 4iiii Innovations Inc, an Edmonton-based company specializing in wearable technology and the internet-of-things as well as development of commercial apps.