The Telegraph newspaper reports that Andrew Lansley, the country’s Health Secretary has issued a list of around 500 tools recommended by the NHS (the National Health Service). This comes after a public appeal to gather the best ideas in new and existing mobile telephone applications.
The government asked doctors to recommend free or low cost applications which could be used by patients in order to reduce visits to the doctor.
Examples of available applications include one for food allergies: the user scans the bar codes of supermarket products and the application warns about potentially dangerous substances.
There is also an application for diabetes, developed by Diabetes UK, which provides reminders for people to check their blood sugar levels and to take medication. The information can be sent electronically to the patient’s usual clinic.
Other popular options include tools to help people deal with post-traumatic stress, to detect breast cancer, measure arterial pressure and the NHS’s application which helps people to locate its services and provides practical advice.
According to the British Health Ministry, a quarter of people who use the NHS website and application, visit their local doctor less frequently. The Minister for Health, Andrew Lansley, stated that “with more information in their reach, patients can really take charge of their health.”
