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Mobile phones won't take on the role of doctors but they will become more widely used in diagnosis and treatment, so those in the sector should look to develop their own apps Last year was heralded as the year of DIY health – in 2012 patients looked increasingly to diagnose themselves through various websites and applications (apps). Patients went to their doctors with a "better" understanding of what was wrong with them, and more opinions on what drugs they "should" be prescribed. This year, with patients more accustomed to accessing information about their health through...

A lesson learnt in the US – which could be replicated in the UK – is that putting people in charge of their health delivers results That Britain faces long-term health challenges from demographic and lifestyle change is hardly a new idea. Nor is it a challenge unique to Britain; developed countries around the world are grappling with a rise in chronic conditions associated with adverse trends in diet, exercise and obesity. There is a widespread recognition that health systems should intervene earlier to prevent the development of chronic conditions. What is less understood is the role of technology...

Management in many NHS trusts can't make good procurement decisions because key information is missing – it's time for change Knowledge management is fundamental to any organisation and procurement in the NHS is no exception. Current systems are not joined up and don't give the level of information that should be expected. Management in many NHS trusts cannot say how effective procurement is within their organisation because they don't have a dashboard of information that tells them, for example, the biggest spend areas, who is placing the order, what price is paid and how that...

Following the Francis report, the NHS Confederation was asked to review bureaucracy. Mike Farrar reveals some early findings The NHS has experienced numerous attempts to free staff from the shackles of unnecessary paperwork to allow more time for patient care. These efforts have seemed little more than pruning projects − bureaucracy is cut back for a short period before it grows back thicker and stronger the next year. People have asked why our bureaucracy and regulation review should be any different to what has gone before. In the wake of Mid Staffs, public and political desire for greater external...

Healthcare technology entrepreneurs pitch products at Innovation Day conference and aim for a £10,000 startup prize The difficulty with innovation in the health sector is that the NHS isn't always aware of what's happening outside the organisation. Many health entrepreneurs remain "under the radar". That's the view of Nina Nashif, founder and chief executive of Healthbox , a business accelerator programme that supports healthcare entrepreneurs. "If a chief executive of a foundation trust googles 'innovation', they don't hear about the companies we work with...

Find out what our panel of experts said about the future of patient data in the NHS, including boundaries of consent and the use of data for relevant trials Richard Corbridge is Clinical Research Network chief information officer Patients want to take part in research: In June 2011 an Ipsos Mori poll commissioned by AMRC revealed that 97% of the public believe it's important for the NHS to support research and that 72% would like to be offered opportunities to be involved in trials of new medicines or treatments if they suffered from a health condition that affects their day-to-day life. The...

A breach of personal data could do considerable damage, so trusts must build patient privacy into NHS IT systems Electronic record systems are among the most important healthcare advances of our times. They bring better, more sustainable healthcare and offer the NHS the opportunity to make large savings – allowing more public money to be invested in improving patient outcomes. However, a recent survey of more than 1,000 UK citizens revealed that 86.5% of respondents believed a serious breach of personal data would do considerable damage to a hospital's reputation, while 87.2% thought the NHS...

In other services, open data is making a real difference and could do the same for healthcare The coalition government has made transparency and open data a defining theme of its agenda and has set out its ambition for the UK to become a world leader in informatics and healthcare data management. The prime minister has pledged a "complete revolution in transparency", with the raw data that will allow people to analyse the performance of public services being made freely available. Ultimately, though, the chief barrier within the health service is culture, not kit. Years ago Rudolf Klein...