DH highlights health apps

Department of Health receives thousands of responses to call for comments and ideas about best health apps

The Department of Health (DH) has received nearly 500 entries and more than 12,600 votes and comments in response to its invitation for ideas about the best existing apps and ideas for new ones to support healthcare.

The invitation went out in August 2011 and was open for six weeks. According to the department it has helped identify apps with "potentially huge value to patients and the NHS that promote better management of long term conditions or healthy living".

A DH spokeswoman told Guardian Government Computing: "We engaged with quite a lot of online communities and did online media about it, blogging and talking to people who work in the NHS. We also asked charities which apps helped their members."

The most popular app ideas were aimed at helping people to:

• Manage long-term conditions like diabetes.

• Deal with post-traumatic stress.

• Track and monitor health indicators such as blood pressure.

• Find NHS services on a map.

• Get practical information about keeping fit and eating healthily.

Among the most popular apps was Patients Know Best, where each patient gets all their records from clinicians and controls who gets access to them. The DH said the app enables patients to have online consultations with any member of their clinical team, receive automated explanations of their results, and work with clinicians for a personalised care plan.

It also highlighted the Diabetes App, which gives people with the condition reminders on checking blood sugar levels and taking medication. It allows them to monitor, record and track blood sugar information, which can then be sent electronically to their surgery or clinic.

Speaking at an event to showcase the programme, health secretary Andrew Lansley said: "So many people use apps every day to keep up with their friends, with the news, find out when the next bus will turn up or which train to catch. I want to make using apps to track blood pressure, to find the nearest source of support when you need it and to get practical help in staying healthy the norm.

"Innovation and technology can revolutionise the health service, and we are looking at how the NHS can use these apps for the benefit of patients, including how GPs could offer them for free."

This article is published by Guardian Professional. For weekly updates on news, debate and best practice on public sector IT, join the Guardian Government Computing network here.

Read the complete post at http://www.guardian.co.uk/government-computing-network/2012/feb/22/department-of-health-apps