My Arthritis App - Welcome

We are delighted to be able to offer patients with inflammatory arthritis the opportunity to use the My Arthritis app. This tool has been created by Ampersand Health in combination with UK patients and rheumatology teams to enhance your care at all stages of the condition.

What is My Arthritis and what can it do for me?

My Arthritis is a smartphone app, available free of charge. Not only does it have a raft of educational resources and tools to help you understand treatments and manage symptoms, but it also enables you to interact with us – via a messaging service if you have a problem or by submitting symptom related data which helps to inform the management strategies we use to improve your condition.

Why have I been chosen to take part?

The app has been openly available for some time now via the App Store/Google Play Store but when a hospital signs up there are additional benefits to patients such as the messaging and remote monitoring mentioned above.

As this is a new venture for the rheumatology department we have invited a small number of patients with inflammatory arthritis, chosen at random, to take part in using the app so we can understand how it works for patients and the clinical team at Christchurch.  Subject to the app being well received by patients and staff, our intention is to open the offer to all patients with inflammatory arthritis currently under the long-term care of a Rheumatology team in Dorset.

Do I have to take part?

We recognise that apps and smartphones are not for everyone. This is very much an additional service for patients who would like to use a digital way of helping to support their long term condition. We hope you will find that using the My Arthritis App enhances both your consultations with us and also how we manage your condition together between appointments.

What if I do not find it helpful?

That is okay – as outlined above this is an additional service that should complement the care you get from us but is not intended to replace it.  Part of the reason to offer the App in a staged way is to help us understand who might benefit most from My Arthritis and what the overall appetite for digital tools is within our patient population.

Is it safe?

The App has been through all the necessary approvals in the UK and also within the Hospital Trust and Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group to ensure that it meets the expected standards for a digital healthcare technology.

Where can I find out more about the App?

Click the link below to take you to the My Arthritis section of the Dorset Digital Library. From there you can read more about the app and download the software to get started today!

https://ourdorset.nhs.uk/digital/#myarthritis

Click here to see a guide on "How to get started".