Frequently asked questions

Patient Watch is an agile electronic data capture (EDC) and ePRO platform built around routine clinical workflows. Clinicians use it for everyday follow-up and audits. Pharma, medical device companies, and research partners use it for sponsored clinical studies, registries, real-world evidence (RWE), and regulated post-market clinical follow-up (PMCF) - without asking clinic sites to run heavy separate trial software.

Medical device and pharma sponsors, CROs, academic research teams, and healthcare organisations running clinical studies, registries, or post-market surveillance; as well as NHS and private clinicians who want reliable outcome tracking for everyday patient care.

We set up standardised templates matched to your protocol or clinical pathway. Each template specifies the intervention, validated questionnaires, visit schedule, and automated reminder intervals. Clinicians enrol patients in seconds via QR code, SMS, or email. Patients answer short mobile-friendly forms without downloading an app. Clinical and study teams track progress in real-time dashboards and export clean datasets.

We support a comprehensive library of validated clinical questionnaires (including Oxford Knee and Hip scores, KOOS, KOOS-PS, WOMAC, EQ-5D-5L, QuickDASH, VISA scores, pain scales, adverse-event and satisfaction forms). Custom study-specific forms, eCRFs, and photo/video diaries can also be configured during project build. You pay for the platform licence, not per questionnaire.

Yes. Under EU MDR 2017/745 and UK MDR, manufacturers must gather continuous clinical data after CE marking (post-market clinical follow-up, or PMCF). We configure schedules, validated PROMs, consent, and adverse-event capture around your follow-up plan, generating clean, audit-ready data for your clinical evaluation reports (CERs) and regulatory submissions.

For sponsored studies, registries, and trials, pricing is based on a one-off project build fee agreed up front, plus a flat annual licence covering platform access, automated reminders, dashboards, and support - with unlimited sites, investigators, and participants included. For individual private clinicians and clinics, flexible monthly subscription plans are available. Visit our pricing pages to learn more or request a quote.

Yes. It was founded by NHS clinicians at Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust to track musculoskeletal (MSK) radiology and orthopaedic outcomes. It is used across NHS trusts, leading private hospital groups like Circle Health and Fortius Clinic, and multinational industry programmes.

Yes. For studies requiring visual verification (such as wound healing, swelling, skin changes, injection site reactions, or joint range of motion), participants can capture secure, timestamped photos and videos directly within their diary entries. Visual data is securely stored, segregated, and reviewable by study monitors.

Yes. Post-market clinical follow-up (PMCF) is mandatory for many medical devices under EU MDR 2017/745 and UK MDR regulations. We configure protocol-aligned schedules, validated PROMs, electronic consent, and adverse-event capture around your clinical evaluation plan. Complete audit trails and timestamped entries provide the robust evidence required by notified bodies and regulatory auditors.

Yes. Real-world evidence captures patient outcomes directly from everyday clinical care outside of artificial trial settings. Our platform collects longitudinal PROMs, functional recovery metrics, and patient satisfaction scores over months and years. These real-world datasets support peer-reviewed publications, reimbursement and NICE submissions, and commercial adoption.

Rather than a rigid, one-size-fits-all national database, Patient Watch creates bespoke, product-linked or indication-specific registries tailored to your exact protocol. You choose the outcome measures, visit intervals, and data fields you need, while site clinicians benefit from a fast, intuitive workflow that takes seconds to use during routine clinic visits.

We remove patient friction entirely: participants do not need to download an app or remember login details. Automated SMS and email notifications deliver secure direct links to mobile-optimised web forms. Short, accessible questionnaires combined with automated reminder schedules consistently deliver follow-up completion rates exceeding 80% at 12 and 24 months.

Yes. For medical devices or treatments where visual proof matters (such as wound care, swelling reduction, implant site healing, or range of motion), participants can capture timestamped photos and videos directly within their diary entries. Visual data is securely stored, segregated, and reviewable by study monitors.

Study teams retain full ownership of all collected data. Complete, unblinded or pseudonymised datasets can be exported at any time in structured CSV format, formatted for direct ingestion into R, SAS, Python, or Stata for statistical analysis, CER drafting, and publication writing.

We host data locally, in the country of origin, so it does not need to leave. Hosting runs on SOC 2 and ISO 27001 certified infrastructure, with encryption in transit and at rest, role-based access, and secure sign-in. See our Security and Data security pages for more detail.

We do not sell directly identifiable patient data. Where the law and contracts allow, anonymised or aggregated summaries may be used for audit, research or post-market work. Full detail is in our Privacy Policy.

Yes. Patient Watch Ltd, ICO reference ZB489383.

Supabase for the database, sign-in and storage; Knock for notification workflows; Twilio for SMS. See our Subprocessors page for the full list.

We remind patients when an entry is due, using the contacts they gave at sign-up. SMS messages avoid sensitive clinical detail. Patients can opt out of push, SMS or email in settings. We cannot guarantee the right person opens every message - check contact details at invite.

Yes, by channel in their settings. Turning them off may mean fewer completed forms; you can still send a manual reminder when needed.

Start with our Data Processing Agreement, organisation data governance page, and the other documents under Legal.

Create a template once, then invite from Patients → New diary. Patients scan a QR code or accept an email invite, set up an account, and add a phone number for SMS reminders. They stay in Pending until they finish sign-up.

Most of the effort is the first template. After that, invites are a few clicks, reminders run automatically, and the patient list shows who is on track or overdue. Paid plans include a secretary or admin seat.

It works in a normal phone or computer browser. They open a link, answer a short form, and submit. Most entries take a few minutes. Missed ones stay on their diary home page to catch up later.

Automated SMS and email reminders, clear due cards on the diary, and a button for you to send a manual nudge. Patients can turn channels off in settings. A clear explanation at invite still makes the biggest difference.

Yes. Many teams use diaries to decide who needs a review after an injection or procedure, instead of bringing everyone back by default. Scores and comments help spot who may need a call. How you redesign clinic time is up to you.

Not as a deep electronic patient record (EPR) integration today. You can print or save a PDF of a diary (and on Pro, download a CSV spreadsheet) to file in notes. That keeps setup fast. Deeper links are discussed for larger programmes.

Yes. Starter and Pro include a secretary or admin account. Roles control who can invite and view diaries in your team or organisation.

Most clinicians are fine after a short walkthrough: build a template, invite someone, open a diary. Help guides cover the rest, and we are around if you get stuck.

Both - hospital clinics, community pathways, or private practice - wherever you follow patients over time and your local rules allow it.

Scan the clinic QR code or click Yes in the invite email, create an account, and add your phone number for SMS reminders.

Use the email from your invite. Try forgot password, or ask your clinic to resend the invite.

Open your diary home page - overdue cards usually stay available so you can catch up.

No. For urgent care, contact your clinician or emergency services.

Sites use quick-enrol workflows designed for routine clinics: investigators or coordinators hand patients a study QR code or trigger a direct digital invite in under 60 seconds. There is no heavy software installation or multi-day training required. Automated reminders handle longitudinal follow-up, freeing research staff from manual telephone chasing.

Traditional EDC platforms are built for complex data coordination and place a heavy administrative burden on site coordinators, often resulting in slow site onboarding, high query rates, and patient drop-off. Patient Watch is clinician-first and patient-first: sites enrol participants in seconds during clinical care, and participants complete validated ePROMs on their phones without downloading an app. Sponsors get clean, audit-ready data with 80%+ completion rates at a fraction of the setup time and cost.

Yes. Study protocols can include dedicated adverse event reporting workflows, complication questionnaires, and automated symptom threshold alerts. When a participant reports an unexpected event or severe score worsening, the platform can flag it immediately for investigator review and post-market vigilance logging.

Multi-centre studies deploy standardised protocol templates across all participating NHS and private hospital sites. Digital eConsent and Participant Information Sheets (PIS) can be integrated into the enrolment flow, ensuring participants review study information and provide informed consent before baseline questionnaires.

Sponsors and study investigators retain complete ownership of their data. Clean, audit-ready datasets can be exported at any time in structured CSV formats formatted for immediate import into statistical packages such as R, SAS, Python, Stata, or SPSS. Timestamps, visit windows, calculated PROM scores, and raw item answers are all included.

No. We provide the agile electronic capture, automated patient reminders, site dashboards, and export-ready data layer. Protocol authoring, medical writing, biostatistical analysis, and regulatory submissions remain with your in-house team or CRO partners. We collaborate smoothly alongside them.

Pricing for sponsored studies, registries, and trials is straightforward and predictable: a one-off project build fee agreed up front, followed by a flat annual licence for the duration of the programme. The build fee covers protocol configuration, custom questionnaire design, visit schedules, reminders, and data export setup. The annual licence includes platform access, automated SMS and email reminders, dashboards, secure cloud hosting, and support. There is no per-patient penalty and no charge per site or investigator.

Yes. When your protocol requires visual evidence - such as wound healing, swelling, skin changes, injection site reactions, or joint range of motion - participants can capture secure, timestamped photos and videos directly within their diary entries. Visual data is securely segregated and accessible to investigators and safety monitors.

Patient Watch operates on SOC 2 and ISO 27001 certified infrastructure with end-to-end encryption, role-based access control (RBAC), and strict data residency in the UK and EU. Study cohorts are isolated in dedicated workspaces, ensuring sponsor data is segregated from routine clinical records and access is strictly governed by site and investigator roles.