Applying remote monitoring technologies to develop an e-cohort physical activity in inflammatory arthritis: REMOTE-PA-IA

This research project was awarded the 2024 Birmingham BRC Collaboration Fund

Status: Project ended

Inflammatory arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA), can significantly impact physical activity and overall health. Traditional methods of monitoring these conditions often require in-person visits, which can be inconvenient and limit the scope of data collection. This project aimed to develop a remote monitoring system to track physical activity and health outcomes in people with inflammatory arthritis. In the long-term, the intention is that collecting this type of data remotely will help lead to the development of more personalised and responsive care.

Project aims

The REMOTE-PA-IA project builds on MISSION-RA, an existing digital research platform designed to support and study physical activity in people living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The MISSION-RA app enables participants to record information about their symptoms, alongside physical activity data collected through a Fitbit device. This information is transferred to a secure data platform, allowing researchers to explore how changes in physical activity relate to changes in symptoms over time, and vice versa.

The early success of MISSION-RA highlighted the potential to develop a national digital research platform that could collect information from people living with a range of inflammatory arthritis conditions, rather than RA alone. Such a platform could help researchers better understand the role of physical activity in health outcomes and support the development of more effective interventions for people living with inflammatory arthritis.

Funding from the Birmingham BRC Collaboration Fund enabled the REMOTE-PA-IA team, featuring experts from the University of Birmingham and the University of Oxford, to take two important next steps. First, the project investigated whether participants could be recruited and monitored remotely, rather than through NHS hospitals alone. Second, it expanded the MISSION-RA platform so that it could be used by people living with psoriatic arthritis.

The project has successfully demonstrated that participants can be recruited outside traditional healthcare settings while completing the same assessments used in hospital-based research. Working in partnership with the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS), the team recruited participants through online and social media channels and invited them to attend MISSION-RA data collection hubs across the UK. As of spring 2025, 49 participants have been recruited remotely, with a further 31 expected to join the study by April 2026.

The app has also been adapted for people living with psoriatic arthritis, including the addition of condition-specific symptom measures. These developments represent an important step towards establishing a national digital research cohort for inflammatory arthritis, creating opportunities to better understand the relationship between physical activity and health outcomes and to inform the development of future interventions that improve patients’ lives.

Outputs

Exploring the feasibility of using digital technologies to measure free-living physical activity and real-time symptoms in people living with rheumatoid arthritis

Read the conference abstract