Nirtal Shah
Necessity may be the mother of invention, but sometimes it’s frustration that opens the door to a better way of doing things. For Toronto-based physical therapist Nirtal Shah, he saw patients not progressing because they couldn’t get to appointments or afford ongoing treatment. Around 2011, he began thinking about how to improve access to physiotherapy services for more people using technology.
That was the seed that led to Curovate, an app designed to help patients do their physiotherapy at home, primarily after hip and knee replacement surgery. It can be used to strengthen joints and reduce the likelihood of future injuries or surgeries. Ultimately, it will help lessen the burden on the health care system by enhancing adherence to physiotherapy, improving patient outcomes, and easing wait times for in-person rehabilitation, since Curovate can be accessed anytime, says Shah, the company’s CEO.
The Curovate app has many innovative features, Shah notes. It provides daily video-guided exercises based on an individual’s specific needs. “It’s like watching YouTube,” he says. “You just follow along and do the exercises as shown. The app even counts the number of repetitions and tracks your progress. It will also use your phone’s internal sensors to measure knee and hip range of motion, so you can track progress in your recovery.”
The app was developed through the combined efforts of Shah and Dr. Jonathan Rose, professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering at the University of Toronto. The two met while Shah was attending the university part-time to do his Master of Public Health. Dr. Rose was also a patient of his. The professor was starting a course where non-engineers could work with professional engineers to build apps. “I was hooked on that idea right away and I signed up for his class,” says Shah.
“I hear from people all over the world how Curovate’s technology has helped them. Those are my proudest moments.”– Nirtal Shah
The main motivator for him to pursue an education in public health was to gain a bigger picture of physiotherapy. “I wanted to make it more affordable and for patients to do it at home independently. My goal was to have physiotherapy make a greater impact for more people,” he explains. “It ultimately led to this unexpected path in digital health.”
As Shah developed the Curovate app, it was important that older adults were included in the process. The app’s earlier version focused on a younger audience. With the support of AGE-WELL, his company gathered feedback from older patients to fine-tune the app and improve user-friendliness. They inspired enhancements like the addition of webinars and blogs to address common concerns.
Shah says his company, an AGE-WELL startup affiliate, has benefitted tremendously from its involvement with the network, especially through AGE-WELL’s Strategic Investment Program (SIP) Accelerator funding program. “The mentorship, contacts and advice have also been invaluable, from how to present ourselves in the media to helping us think of our technology in terms of older adults,” he notes. “It has been an open and fruitful relationship.”
An introduction made through AGE-WELL has helped Shah set a clear path for the future. Next up, Curovate will work with home health care agencies, like VHA Home HealthCare in Toronto, to help even more patients.
To date, the app has more than 10,000 users. By constantly improving it, Shah hopes those numbers grow; however, his true measure of success is the individual messages from patients. “I receive a ton of them,” he says. “I hear from people all over the world how Curovate’s technology has helped them. Those are my proudest moments.”