Guardian: Millions of people will receive devices and apps free on the NHS to help them manage conditions such as diabetes and heart disease in an major drive to use technology to reduce patient deaths.
NHS England’s chief executive, Simon Stevens, has backed the move as a significant expansion of self-care that could help prevent patients becoming seriously unwell and needing hospital treatment.
The devices, which can be strapped to the back of a smartphone, will be able to help patients detect and monitor atrial fibrillation. About 2.5 million people have the condition, which causes around 25,000 of the 110,000 strokes that occur annually and costs the NHS more than £2.2bn a year to treat. AliveCor, a mobile heart monitor, could help to prevent hospital admission and even death, while saving the NHS money by reducing the need for expensive treatment.
The NHS is already issuing patients in Portsmouth who have life-threatening breathing trouble with an app called MyCOPD. It helps those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, such as emphysema and bronchitis, to manage their condition on their smartphone or tablet. It advises them when to take their medication and how to do exercises that reduce the risk of them suffering an exacerbation of their illness, which could prove fatal.
NHS to offer free devices and apps to help people manage illnesses
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