Once just a concept, the Caretown HF app is now equipping caregivers with the tools they need to co-manage heart failure effectively
Five years ago, Caretown HF was barely an idea. Born from the need to address the health system’s failure to support caregivers of heart failure patients.
Now it's an app available in the Google Play and App Store thanks in part to Caretown HF project manager, Camila Benmessaoud, winning the 2023 Power Play Pitch Competition at the International Conference on Aging, Innovation & Rehabilitation (ICAIR).
Caretown HF is a companion app to Medly–a remote patient monitoring and self-management tool for heart failure that tracks key information such as symptoms and heart rate. Caregivers of patients using Medly can use Caretown HF to access educational resources, track medications and symptoms, participate in group chats with nurses and see the patients’ health data live.
Power Play is a competition in which healthcare entrepreneurs compete for up to $50,000 in prizes. Benmessaoud won the Innovative Concept category of the competition. Benmessaoud used the funds she earned from Power Play to hire a caregiver partner who could help shape the development of the app.
“It has allowed us to receive consistent feedback from someone with lived experience and who truly represents the end user,” said Benmessaoud.
Caretown HF is a project under the University Health Network’s Center for Digital Therapeutics Caretown portfolio which aims to improve access to healthcare for older adults from minority communities, individuals with limited digital literacy, and those with limited English proficiency.
Next, Benmessaoud says her team will conduct a pilot research study to evaluate the feasibility, usability, and adoption of Caretown HF, and then they will work on an improved new version.
“Our team is extremely excited to get Caretown HF in the hands of caregivers and to continue amplifying the voices of our community to bring forth more equitable digital health solutions that consider the needs of all individuals involved in the circle of care,” said Benmessaoud.
This year’s Power Play competition will be held at ICAIR on May 1 and 2. The goal of this event is to accelerate the development and commercial success of concepts and prototypes in healthcare. The deadline to apply is Feb. 28.
For more information, please visit the Power Play website.