UPBEAT

Focus: testing the effectiveness of a wrist worn device and a self-management approach to encourage an increase in the amount of active movement of a person’s upper limb after stroke.

Timeline: 2022 – 2025

Funder: SBRI Healthcare (£900,000)

Collaborators: Helix Centre at Imperial College London, City St George’s University of London, Bridges, Cardiff University, Imperial College Health Partners and 3 NHS Trusts

Bridges and City St George’s have a long-standing collaboration with the Helix Centre at Imperial College London for research on a new intervention (OnTrack Rehab) to support self-managed arm activity after stroke. OnTrack is a unique package of support involving a watch with smart sensors to count the minutes of purposeful arm activity during each day, it has gone through extensive testing and more than 100 people with stroke and contributed and supported this innovation.

OnTrack is introduced to patients by stroke staff who have been trained to use a coaching approach based on Bridges self-management. In a UPBEAT, a recent study funded by SBRI Healthcare, stroke services across London were trained in Bridges self-management which had been adapted to integrate the OnTrack intervention. City St George’s, University of London led on an independent process evaluation which explored the acceptability and feasibility of the intervention with stroke participants and stroke staff. 

On Track is introduced by stroke staff who have been trained to use a coaching approach based on Bridges self-management. In a UPBEAT, a recent study funded by SBRI, stroke services across London were trained in Bridges self-management which had been adapted to integrate the OnTrack intervention. City St George’s, University of London led on an independent process evaluation which explored the acceptability and feasibility of the intervention with stroke participants and stroke staff. 

This project completed in January 2025, more details about UPBEAT, OnTrack and published papers from previous work with Imperial can be found here.

Overall, this work demonstrates the potential to combine personalised coaching support together with technology such as On Track, and the value of taking a collaborative approach to digital solutions.

Publications