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Showing results for tags 'Health and Care Apps'.
Found 115 results
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Content ArticleCancer Research UK, in partnership with London-based tech company Stitch, are piloting an app for patients to use whilst participating in a clinical trial. The Trialmap app, which was co-created with patients, is being piloted on a clinical trial run by Cancer Research UK’s Centre for Drug Development. The aim of the app is to ensure patients feel valued for their participation, and to improve patient experience during clinical trials. This article looks at how the app: allows patients to easily view information about the trial gives reminders about appointments and what patients might need to do to prepare for them gives patients the opportunity to provide real-time feedback regarding their time on the trial.
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Content ArticleMedical records include any information about your physical or mental health recorded by a healthcare professional. This includes hospital staff, GPs, dentists and opticians. This page on The Patients Association website explains how to get copies of your medical records in England and Wales. It provides information on: How to get your GP records Using the NHS App to access records A guide to formally requesting medical records Requesting the records of someone who has died Seeing a child’s medical records Requesting the records of a vulnerable adult More information on medical records Complaints
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News Article
Digital mental health tools to be regulated
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Recent years has seen a large, and rapid, growth in the availability of digital mental health tools. Do an online search for 'NHS Mental Health Apps' and an abundance of options will appear. These online tools can be helpful for people experiencing mental health problems, however, the Medicines Health and Regulatory products Agency (MHRA) said, they "present regulatory challenges" - such as clarity around whether they are medical devices and, if so, which risk classification they fall under. "Digital mental health tools offer millions of people vital support and guidance to explore and help manage their mental health issues every day," said Johan Ordish, head of software and artificial intelligence (AI) at the MHRA. He pointed out, however, that there are a number of "regulatory complexities" in establishing when these products should be regulated and what evidence they must have to demonstrate safety and effectiveness. Minister for Mental Health, Dr Caroline Johnson, said: "Digital mental health tools can be incredibly useful to help build resilience and prevent problems worsening, but it’s crucial these are regulated properly." To address these vital issues MHRA and NICE will explore and produce guidance on regulating digital mental health tools, using £1.8m funding by Wellcome over 3 years. The project will review key aspects of medical device regulations to produce guidance that will support digital mental health in several significant areas – including: Determining what qualifies as a medical device. The risk classification the devices would fall under. A review of the current evidence base for the devices. The MHRA explained that to achieve this it will "engage with" and "learn from" those with lived experience, subject experts, and patients, to inform their conclusions. Read full story Source: Medscape UK, 11 October 2022 -
Content ArticlePatients are becoming increasingly involved in their health through technology such as health apps, and regulators are already struggling to control the market without constraining innovation. Clinical Safety must therefore adapt to the ever-changing world of health apps, if it is to fulfil its purpose and ensure that only the safest technologies are used by patients. In this blog, GP Tom Micklewright looks at some of the safety issues relating to health apps. He highlights that unlike with other new systems, health apps are rarely deployed in a controlled environment, which can cause problems when trying to apply clinical safety standards to them. He looks at five of the issues health apps can cause for safety teams: Intended scope and use Updated health apps Clinical safety, health apps and AI Different places, different features Monitoring clinical safety He then offers some potential solutions to these problems: Continuous assessment of health apps Centralise clinical safety, don’t localise Differentiated approach to clinical safety Aggregated incident reporting
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Content ArticleWith patients increasingly being able to view their healthcare records online or via an app, it is very important that they understand what their records say. This webpage by the NHS explains what some of the most common medical abbreviations mean, to help patients understand what has been written about their care and treatment.
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Content ArticleIn the UK, over 26% of adults take prescription medications and in the US the figure is around 66%. But up to 50% of patients fail to take their medications as prescribed. As healthcare steadily pivots towards digital health, Dr. Bertalan Meskó and Dr. Pranavsingh Dhunno ask how new technologies can improve medication management. In this article for The Medical Futurist, they look at the importance of empowering patients to reduce the risk of medication errors. They highlight five medication management technologies that could help patients improve their own medication safety: Smart pill dispensers which deliver audible and visual cues to remind patients to take medications at the right time Medication reminder apps which help manage medication regimens and can sync the data with a caregiver or doctor Digital therapeutics which support patients to make treatment decisions Digital pills which integrate tracking technology into pills themselves Telemedical platforms that allow patients to request advice or raise concerns with their doctors.
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Content ArticleBabylon is a US company that offers AI-powered online apps to health systems. Several UK hospital trusts have used Babylon apps to triage patients and reduce attendances at accident and emergency departments since 2018. In this blog, Nicole Kobie, contributing editor at technology website Wired, looks at Babylon's recent cancellation of its last contract with an NHS trust. She highlights that although some welcome Babylon's exit from the NHS, the disruption caused by the apps' implementation was costly and has left some trusts with large bills. The apps also triggered complaints from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) after concerns that Babylon's AI was missing signs of serious illness. The article highlights the need to carefully consider patient safety and cost-effectiveness when introducing new technologies into health systems, and take a slower approach to rolling out AI innovations.
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News Article
App will let patients avoid long NHS waits
Patient-Safety-Learning posted a news article in News
Patients will be able to use the NHS app to shop around for hospitals with the shortest waiting lists in a renewed drive to cut backlogs for routine care. Health bosses agreed yesterday to give patients more choice over where they are treated by next April in an effort to use digital league tables to direct people towards hospitals with the shortest waits. Steve Barclay, the health secretary, wants to give patients “real-time data” on their phones to decide whether to travel further to get quicker treatment for hip replacements, cataract removals and other non-urgent procedures. A government source said: “We don’t need a big bureaucracy to funnel patients towards the hospital which NHS managers decide is best, when, armed with a right to choose and the right information on the app, patients will go where waiting times are lowest.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Times (31 August 2022) -
News Article
Let patients choose hospital with shortest wait, says former health secretary
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
All patients should be able to choose the hospital with the shortest waiting times, a former health secretary has said. Alan Milburn, the Labour health secretary under Tony Blair from 1999 to 2003, called for urgent reforms and warned that the NHS was “close to breaking point” and “in the worst state I have ever seen”. A record 6.7 million people are now on waiting lists, with the numbers waiting in Accident and Emergency departments for at least 12 hours surging by more than a third in a month. Writing for The Telegraph, Mr Milburn called for urgent reforms to give patients more choice and control while preventing a “tsunami” of chronic diseases fuelled by unhealthy lifestyles. In recent months, ministers have promised that those facing the longest waits will be offered treatment further away and offered travel and accommodation costs, but only around 140 patients were booked in for such surgery by June. Mr Milburn called for the option to be offered to all patients, urging health officials to use the NHS app as a way for people to chose the hospital with the shortest wait. So far, officials have promised to ensure that the app allows patients to check the average waiting time at their local hospital for their condition and compare it with others. Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Telegraph, 17 August 2022 -
Content Article
Research shows that poor handover in hospitals puts patients at risk of severe harm
Anonymous posted an article in Handover
Research undertaken by digital health platform, CAREFUL shows that handover in hospitals is the cause of frequent and severe harm to patients. -
News Article
NHS Wales: App helping keep heart patients out of hospital
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Mobile apps to track patients' health are keeping them out of hospital and could cut waiting times, experts have said. It follows a trial of a new app which heart patients are using through their mobile phones. The trial allows clinicians to change treatments quickly and uses video consultations, avoiding unnecessary hospital visits. Rhodri Griffiths is the innovation adoption director at Life Sciences Hub Wales, and is looking for more ways to introduce similar technology. He believes the pandemic accelerated the use and acceptance of digital solutions in healthcare, by patients and clinicians. "We really are looking at a big digital revolution within healthcare and there are an amazing myriad of things coming through," he said. He explained data collected by smartphones and watches can help predict who is likely to have a heart attack. "We can avoid that happening. So prevention is key but it's also looking at how some of this can impact on waiting lists," he said. "So, looking at how theatres are used, which patients can be prioritised? "In social care it's looking at how pain is managed by face recognition." Mr Griffiths said he believed the data collected could also identify wider problems: "It's combining these digital solutions with our genetic information - bringing big data together on a population level we can start spotting trends". Read full story Source: BBC News, 4 August 2022 -
Content ArticleThis guide developed by the AHSN Network, the University of Plymouth and the pharma company Boehringer Ingelheim sets out four key principles to involve and engage patients and the public in digital health innovation: Engage – map out your strategy and motivations, identify a representative cohort and develop inclusive engagement practices. Acknowledge, value & support – show you value patients’ and the public’s contribution to ongoing and transparent communication, any necessary training and potential financial reimbursement. Communicate – tailored external communication and open feedback channels are crucial to maintaining engagement and accountability by all parties. Trust and transparency – In order to gain patients’ trust, organisations conducting PPIE should be trustworthy and transparent about potential risks.
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Content Article
This is part of our series of Patient Safety Spotlight interviews, where we talk to people working for patient safety about their role and what motivates them. Clive talks to us about the important role of digital technologies in tackling the big issues healthcare faces, the need for digital tools and records to be joined-up and interoperable, and how his experiences as a carer have shaped how he sees patient safety. -
Content ArticleThe health and social care system’s long-term sustainability depends on effective digital transformation. This document outlines the government's plans to reform and develop the use of digital technologies in health and social care in order to deliver a system that will be faster, more effective and more personalised. The plan pulls together the four goals of reform for the health and care system identified by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care: prevent people’s health and social care needs from escalating personalise health and social care and reduce health disparities improve the experience and impact of people providing services transform performance
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News Article
NHS App to get new digital features by 2023
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The NHS App will soon be updated with features to help offer people in England more personalised care. It is part of the government's plan for a digital revolution to speed up care and improve access while saving the health service time and money. By March 2023, more users will receive messages from their GP and be able to see their medical records and manage hospital elective-care appointments. By March 2024, the app should offer face-to-face video consultations. The government's ambition is for at least 75% of adults to be using it by March 2024. Currently, less than half - about 28 million - have it on their phone or tablet. The government also wants 90% of NHS trusts to have electronic patient records in place or be processing them by December 2023 and for all social-care providers to adopt a digital social-care record. And patients across the country should be able to complete their hospital pre-assessment checks from home by September 2024. Read full story Source: BBC News, 29 June 2022 -
Content ArticleThis strategy sets out the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care’s vision for how data will be used to improve the health and care of the population in a safe, trusted and transparent way. It: provides an overarching narrative and action plan to address the current cultural, behavioural and structural barriers in the system, with the ultimate goal of having a health and care system that is underpinned by high-quality and readily available data marks the next steps of the discussion about how we can best utilise data for the benefit of patients, service users, and the health and care system This strategy applies to England only. The strategy shows how data will be used to bring benefits to all parts of health and social care – from patients and care users to staff on the frontline and pioneers driving the most cutting-edge research. It is backed by a series of concrete commitments, including: investing in secure data environments to power life-saving research and treatments using technology to allow staff to spend more quality time with patients giving people better access to their own data through shared care records and the NHS App.
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Content ArticleLisa Drake, an NHS ex General Practice Manager now working in a digital advisory role, shares some of the missed opportunities for digital ways of working she witnessed when she was a patient herself.
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News Article
Lifestyle changes saving thousands from diabetes
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Thousands of Britons have avoided being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes thanks to an NHS programme aimed at early intervention. The Diabetes Prevention Programme identifies people at risk of developing the condition and gives them a nine-month plan to change their lifestyles. Researchers at the University of Manchester found that the programme resulted in 18,000 fewer people in England being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes between 2018 and 2019 — a 7% reduction. It focuses on eating and exercise habits and enables participants to join peer support groups and receive instruction from health coaches. The programme also offers a digital service that helps participants monitor their progress using wearable technology and mobile phone apps. Emma McManus, a research fellow at the university, said that diabetes was a “growing problem” for the country. The NHS spends about 10 per cent of its annual budget on treating it. “However, if you change your lifestyle, the risk of developing type 2 diabetes reduces,” she said. “Our research has shown that the programme has been successful in reducing the number of new cases of diabetes.” Emma Elvin, a senior clinical adviser at Diabetes UK, said: “This research adds to the evidence that many type 2 diabetes cases can be delayed or prevented with the right support and further highlights how the NHS diabetes prevention programme can be a real turning point for people at risk of type 2 diabetes.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Times, 28 March 2022 -
Content Article
WHO medsafe app
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an article in Medication
The World Health Organization has released a mobile application for patients and their families and caregivers as part of its Global Patient Safety Challenge: 'Medication Without Harm'. The app is designed to guide patients through the five key moments where action can reduce the risk of medication-related harm, and to facilitate patients to ask their healthcare professional important questions about their medications. The app is available from Google Play and the Apple App Store. -
News Article
Pregnancy risk tool cuts baby loss in black and Asian women
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A new pregnancy screening tool cuts the risk of baby loss among women from black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds to the same level as white women, research suggests. The app calculates a woman's individual risk of pregnancy problems. In a study of 20,000 pregnant women, baby death rates in ethnic groups were three times lower than normal when the tool was used. Experts say the new approach can help reduce health inequalities. The screening tool is already in use at St George's Hospital in London and is being tried out at three other maternity units in England, with hopes it could be rolled out to 20 centres within two years. Researchers from Tommy's National Centre for Maternity Improvement, led by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Royal College of Midwives, developed the new tool. Professor Basky Thilaganathan, who led the research team at St George's Hospital, said the new approach could "almost eliminate a large source of the healthcare inequality facing black, Asian and minority ethnic pregnant women". "We can personalise care for you and reduce the chances of having a small baby, pre-eclampsia and losing your baby," he said. The current system of a tick-box checklist to assess pregnancy risk has been around for 70 years, and is limited. The new digital tool, which uses an algorithm to calculate a woman's personal risk, can detect high-risk women more accurately and prevent complications in pregnancy, the researchers say. Both pregnant women and maternity staff can upload information on their pregnancy and how they are feeling to the app during antenatal appointments and at other times. Dr Edward Morris, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said it was "unacceptable" that black, Asian and minority ethnic women faced huge inequalities on maternity outcomes. "The digital tool provides a practical way to support women with personalised care during pregnancy and make informed decisions about birth. Read full story Read Tommy's press release Source: BBC News, 28 February 2022 -
Content ArticleThe aim of this study from Liu et al. was to assess the impact of the Fetal Medicine Foundation (FMF) first trimester screening algorithm for pre-eclampsia on health disparities in perinatal death among minority ethnic groups.
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Event
Use of patient records and data
Patient Safety Learning posted an event in Community Calendar
This conference from the Westminster forum will examine the next steps for the use of patient records and data within the NHS and clinical research. The agenda also looks at the opportunities for improved patient engagement in their care, including through the NHS app which enables easily to access their own records. Speakers and other delegates will share experience, latest thinking on best practice, and views on the way forward for addressing key issues. Areas for discussion include: patient data use in healthcare delivery - the current landscape, and priorities for the future electronic health records - including their role in supporting integrated care systems clinical research - the next steps for utilising patient data, and developing best practice digital health - patient data collection, use and quality, and innovation priorities population health - achieving the potential of data collection to improve outcomes security - including transparency on patient data use public trust - digital health literacy and patient control of their own care plans the NHS app - its role in the future of patient-centred healthcare. Register -
Content Article
The 12 days of digital patient safety
Clive Flashman posted an article in Digital health and care service provision
A couple of weeks ago, I presented some of the ideas I’ve had around digital clinical safety. This was seasonally branded, ‘The 12 days of Digital Patient Safety’. The 12 issues that were on my list comprised: AI – regulation, ethics and testing. Patient safety not built into the innovation process (co-design and co-production with patients is required). Patient safety (in use) not effectively built into the digital health compliance systems. Poor user experience (design). The safety of medical devices, e.g. remote hacking. Privacy and consent around data. Fragmentation of patient records and data. Lack of interoperability. Cybersecurity. Patient digital and health literacy. Clinician attitudes and knowledge of digital technologies. The barriers to EHR integration (and poor use of patient-generated data). There was only time on the webinar to cover points 2, 3, 6 and 10; I hope that we can have further session in 2022 where we can discuss the others. -
Content ArticleThe WHO Academy’s mobile learning app was developed specifically for health workers and is designed to enable them to expand their life-saving skills to battle COVID-19. It delivers mobile access to a wealth of COVID-19 knowledge resources developed by WHO, including up-to-the-minute guidance, tools, training, and virtual workshops to support health workers in caring for patients infected by COVID-19 and in protecting themselves as they do their critical work. With content in seven languages – Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish – the app focuses on providing health workers with critical, evidence-based information and tools to respond to the pandemic.
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Content Article
Hannah Hylton is a highly specialised respiratory physiotherapist at Barts Health NHS Trust. During the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, she was part of the team that designed the Trust’s after-Covid services, including the Living With Covid Recovery app. In this interview, Hannah explains how the app works and how it is being used by Trusts around the UK to support over 1,500 patients living with Long Covid.
