Archangels, with support from Scotland’s leading medtech and digital health incubator, MediCity Scotland (part of the BioCity Group) has invested in Scottish early stage company, PhysioMedics, whose expert system, PhysioWizard, has the potential to revolutionise the way healthcare is delivered.
PhysioWizard is the world’s first clinically validated and CE Marked self-assessment online platform which has been proven to replicate a physiotherapist’s assessment with 93% clinical accuracy. The system accurately helps organisations (health insurance and occupational health companies) manage the health condition of patients and employees with muscle and joint problems. By matching sufferers with the recommended treatment (triage), the platform promotes patient-led care, enabling patients to actively participate in their treatment and achieve better results.
PhysioWizard has been developed by Kirsten Lord and her team of specialist clinicians. Kirsten has 26 years’ experience as a chartered physiotherapist, treating thousands of patients with muscle and joint problems and in 1992 founded The Physio Centres, Scotland’s largest private physiotherapy group.
In 2016 Kirsten’s team won the MediCity DEVELOP programme, a rigorous and competitive course designed to finesse new start business propositions and identify the innovations of the future. MediCity has helped introduce
PhysioWizard to the range of major international health brands that it works with on a daily basis.
Archangels, supported by BioCity, has invested £250,000 in supporting the development and implementation of the PhysioWizard platform.
Physiowizard’s first application is in the assessment of lower back pain which is the biggest cause of ill health in the world and places a considerable burden on healthcare resources worldwide.
- Back pain causes of 12.5% of employee absenteeism
- Lower back pain is one of the main causes of time off work
- Lower back pain typically results in 19 days off work
- 14% of all GP appointments are attributed to treating back pain
- Back pain is estimated to cost the UK economy £17bn per year
Companies that need to manage employees with back pain guide sufferers to the PhysioWizard on the day they call in sick. The PhysioWizard self-assessor takes only 15 minutes for the back pain sufferer to complete and provides an instant report with personalised self-help which then directs them to the recommended healthcare professional. Not only do employees return to work faster, by addressing back pain early, the system prevents the condition from becoming chronic and more difficult to recover from.
Commenting on the platform, Kirsten Lord said:
“PhysioWizard assesses those with back pain more consistently, faster, and cheaper than any other method, including Dr Google, helping sufferers return to work in half the time.
“Our customers range from occupational health companies to health insurers. They see PhysioWizard as a major breakthrough, reducing their costs and speeding up the recovery timeline. It’s very exciting to be at the forefront of healthcare and making a real difference.”
Dr Sarah Hardy, Chief Investment Officer at Archangels, said:
“The PhysioWizard team has worked tirelessly to clinically validate their platform and has big aspirations for its further development. This seed funding demonstrates Archangels’ ability to engage at an early stage and work with the management team. We are confident that PhysioWizard has the potential to transform the way healthcare is delivered.”
Dr Glenn Crocker, CEO BioCity Group, said:
“We are delighted to have seen the team’s fantastic progress through the MediCity Develop Programme and success in raising investment. This is yet another example of the excellent businesses being developed and growing at BioCity and MediCity sites across the UK.”
Kirsten and her team have already started developing self-assessment tools for other areas of the body and plan to release a lower limb module (hip, knee and ankle) in 2017. The team is keen to extend the platform to address a range of other medical conditions, in response to demand from their customers.
