Surgery

Patient information for Translation

Cardiac Surgery: Remote Patient Monitoring with the Ortus-iHealth App

Keeping you safe before surgery

This leaflet is for patients waiting for surgery at Barts Health NHS Trust. As part of your care and treatment, you will use the Ortus-iHealth App (referred to as the ‘Ortus App’) before, during, and after your surgery.

Using the Ortus App is important because:

1. Your Surgical Team can remotely monitor and support you throughout your care and treatment to keep you safe whilst you wait for surgery.
2. You will use the App to track and send us your vital observations (e.g., your blood pressure) and your symptoms (e.g., chest pain).
3. You can see useful information provided to you from your Surgical Team e.g., information about your surgery.
4. Your Surgical Team can use it for video appointments and send you messages through the Ortus App.

This patient information sheet will help you to understand how to register with the Ortus App, to complete your registration with the Ortus App, how to answer questionnaires and provide your vital observations and symptoms, and what to do if you feel unwell.

It is important to update it often to so your Surgical Team can monitor you through your care and treatment with up-to-date data.

This service is provided by Barts Health NHS Trust.

Using the Ortus App will help you to give your Surgical Team up-to-date health data so they can monitor your condition accurately. They will use the App to:

1. Send you a pre-assessment form (named ‘Generic Cardiac Surgery Pre-Assessment Form’) to fill out before your first assessment.
2. Send you a symptoms form (named ‘Cardiac Surgery Waiting List: Symptoms Checker’ or ‘Cardiac Symptoms Questionnaire’) to monitor your symptoms.
3. Send you information about your treatment (videos/leaflets) and what to do before and after your treatment (videos/leaflets).
4. Send you forms to fill in before your appointments.
5. Send you messages with updates about your treatment.

Using the App, you can:

1. Update your Surgical Team about your vital observations (e.g., blood pressure) and symptoms (e.g., chest pain).
2. Look for information about your condition or treatment.
3. Contact your Hospital Team.

If you are unable to use Ortus

If you are unable to use Ortus through the internet or through the app, then your Surgical Team will contact you by telephone or mobile phone at the appropriate time to discuss your care.

Getting started: registration

If you have been registered by your Hospital Team

1. You will receive an SMS message to the mobile number you were registered with.
2. You will be asked to confirm:
   1. Your name and date of birth
   2. Your address
   3. Your GP contact information
   4. Your email address (this will become your username)
   5. A password for your account
3. You will be told that you have completed your registration, and will be prompted to download the Ortus-iHealth App.
   1. Whilst this is recommended, it is not necessary as Ortus can be accessed through a web browser e.g., on a laptop.
   2. If you are already registered, then please login or contact your Surgical Team if you are having issues with access.

If you are registering yourself

1. Head to https://mui.ortus-ihealth.com/login
2. Select ‘Self-Registration’
3. Enter your mobile number or your NHS number.
   1. You will be told if you are already, or if you need to complete a new registration.
4. To complete your registration:
   1. Select ‘Insert Trust’ (there is a menu for you to choose from)
   2. Enter the required personal details
   3. Enter the required contact details Enter your email address and set your password for your account
   4. Enter your GP contact information
5. You will be told that you have completed your registration process and will be prompted to download the Ortus-iHealth App.
   1. Whilst this is recommended, it is not necessary as Ortus can be accessed through a web browser e.g., on a laptop.
   2. If you are already registered, then please login or contact your Surgical Team if you are having issues with access.

If you have any problems registering with the App, please contact your Surgical Team at bartshealth.spoc@nhs.net or 020 3465 5655.

Accessing Ortus once you have registered

Web Browser

Go to https://ortus-ihealth.com

App

1. Go to the App Store (Apple users) or the Google Play Store (Android users).
2. Search for ‘Ortus’.
3. Install the application ‘ManageMyHealth – Ortus’.
4. Please ensure that you allow access for the app to your microphone, camera, and notifications when prompted.

Tell your Surgical Team about your symptoms

To keep you safe while waiting for your surgery, please complete the ‘Cardiac Surgery Waiting List: Symptoms Checker’ questionnaire.

Please do this every Monday and Thursday before 11am.

You will find the questionnaire to complete in the ‘Questionnaire’ tab on your Ortus home screen.

You can also report symptoms through the ‘Symptoms’ Tab.

A member of your Surgical Team will be monitoring your inputted symptoms and questionnaire answers on weekdays between 9am-5pm. If your symptoms get worse, we will contact you by telephone or through the App’s messaging system.

Additional app functionality – what else can you do in the app?

You can:

1. View information about your care and treatment from your Hospital Team.
2. Send and receive messages from your Hospital Team.
3. Enter health indicators and observations like your blood pressure, heart rate, weight, and blood sugars.

To help you make the most of the app, we have created some short videos. Visit https://ortus-ihealth.com and select the ‘patient videos’ tab.

What to do if you feel unwell or experience these symptoms:

If you feel capable, add your symptoms to Ortus to inform your hospital team. Ring 999 or seek urgent clinical attention if you experience the following.

You have Chest pain:

1. Chest pain once a day or more
2. You notice your chest pain is getting worse
3. You are having to use your Glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) spray daily

OR You are breathless and:

1. It is much worse compared than the week before
2. It is slowing you down and stopping you from activities
3. You can’t walk more than 50 metres on a flat surface
4. You have to sit upright to sleep
5. Your ankles have swollen more than the previous week

OR You have experienced dizziness:

1. Made you faint or feel very faint
2. Feeling dizzy daily or more than four times a week
3. Your dizziness is getting much worse than last week

OR You have palpitations that cause:

1. Severe breathlessness, near fainting or fainting

Translation and interpreting services

If you do not speak English as a first language, use sign language (BSL) or have a learning difficulty, our in-house Bilingual Health Advocacy and Interpreting Service can help.

St Bartholomew’s, Mile End and The Royal London Hospitals
Telephone: 020 7377 7000 

Newham University Hospital
Telephone: 020 7476 4000 

Whipps Cross University Hospital
Telephone: 020 8539 5522 

Text Relay service for Deaf people
Our dedicated number is 18002 and then add in the number you are wanting to phone. It is available 24/7 for deaf people to access emergency services through interpreters across our hospitals. 

Please scan the QR code below to access our patient information library and for translation of leaflets

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Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
Please contact us if you need general information or advice about Trust services: www.bartshealth.nhs.uk/pals

Reference: BH/PIN/1159

Publication date: August 2022

All our patient information leaflets are reviewed every three years.

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