\"We still rely on desktop computers and pagers. The NHS has more functioning fax machines that the rest of industry in Britain put together,\" he said. \"Digital health is the idea that we use mobile phones and tablet devices to make health care delivery more effective and cost effective.\" <\/p>\n
Saving lives <\/p>\n
And it goes beyond communication, with Kelsey highlighting that technology can help reduce the thousands of avoidable deaths recorded by the NHS each year: \"It is quite genuinely about saving lives.\" <\/p>\n
One key way of doing this is by tracking diseases digitally. Patients have been monitoring their blood pressure or blood-sugar levels at home for some time now, this data can be automatically synced to smartphones and doctors' databases. Glooko, for instance, is an app which allows users with diabetes to download their blood glucose readings to their smartphones, and share it with their health care team. <\/p>\n
It's not just small start-ups getting in on the act. Samsung and Apple are also offering health-tracking apps, with Apple Health allowing users to log and keep track of cholesterol readings, blood work data and more. <\/p>\n
\"There are dozens of companies who are trying to do things directly with the consumer - almost taking doctors out of the equation,\" King said. \"They're offering apps which allow people to manage their diabetes without ever having to go to a hospital unless things go dramatically wrong.\" <\/p>\n
Risky business? <\/p>\n
Perhaps unsurprisingly, this has led to some concerns about the potential consequences of \"taking doctors out of the equation\". <\/p>\n
Bleddyn Rees, head of health care at law firm Wragge Lawrence Graham, highlighted concerns about the accuracy of healthtech devices. Generally, even if you provide doctors with data collected from such a device, they will repeat the test. <\/p>\n
Read MoreThe future of medicine means part human, part computer<\/p>\n
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Originally posted here:<\/p>\n
Digital medicine? High-tech health care on the way<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \"We still rely on desktop computers and pagers. Continue reading