Lets Talk Clots app

The Lets Talk Clots app is a useful source of information for people who have been diagnosed with a blood clot or are at risk of a blood clot. It covers a wide range of topics, including:

• Risk factors, signs, symptoms, and diagnosis.
• Treatments, pain management.
• Recovery, getting active, managing anxiety.
• Potential impacts on pregnancy, travel, work.
• Hormone therapies and blood clots.
• Cancer and blood clots.

The information is provided in multiple formats – written information with images, printable factsheets and pamphlets, as well as videos.

There are also Zoom meetings covering specific topics, which include presentations with an option to ask questions at the end. There are also informal sessions encouraging interaction. There's also an app community so you can connect with and chat to other people who have had blood clots.

It's important to note that this app is UK based, and some of the treatments, services, or contact information mentioned may not be relevant in Aotearoa New Zealand.

For the complete app description go to the app website(external link), Google Play(external link), App Store(external link) or, for a more detailed review, see reviews below.

Clinical review

Reviewer: Emma Riddell, Clinical Pharmacist, Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
Date of review: July 2024
Platform: Android
Version: 1.6.0
Comments: I found this app to be a really great source of information for people who have been diagnosed with a blood clot. There is a wide range of high-quality information on this app, all organised into easy-to-navigate folders. The app has its own written information to read about each topic, as well as videos and downloadable pdf factsheets or pamphlets which can be printed. The one downside is that this information has been produced in the UK, so some of the medications mentioned are not available or funded in Aotearoa New Zealand, eg, the video on how to inject low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) is not relevant for New Zealand users.

The information covers a wide range of topics, from medical information (eg, diagnosis and treatment) and recovery (eg, pain management and getting active), to more specific topics (eg, hormone therapies, cancer, pregnancy).

The app also currently has zoom meetings planned. These are based in UK time zone (BST), so might not be convenient for people in Aotearoa New Zealand. The meetings currently planned are for 9–10pm NZST. These meetings include presentations on topics (eg. managing excess worry, getting back to normal after a blood clot) with a Q&A section afterwards, as well as informal “coffee and chat” meetings. The presentations are uploaded at a later date so you can watch them at any stage, but you will not get to see the Q&A or informal meetings.

The public chat section is very basic – this is more like a text-group chat with a single flow of discussion you can interact with, rather than a forum where you can post about individual topics. The app also has a section on “Local Services”, but this is for UK-based users only and does not include any New Zealand-based services.
Safety concerns: None.
New Zealand relevance: Yes, the app is relevant to a New Zealand audience but it has been produced in the UK and the contact numbers and services listed are all UK based, and not relevant to New Zealand users. Some of the medications mentioned are not available or not funded in New Zealand.