Digital technology is a significant part of our everyday lives, improving the way we socialise, shop and work. It also has great potential to improve how the NHS delivers its services in a new and modern way; providing faster, safer and more convenient care. After a challenging winter, and increasing economic pressure, what will spring look like for the NHS? In this article, which is one in a series of three on the topic, we take a look at the role of technology, and the increasing use of health tech, and health and wellbeing monitoring at home, as more and more of us become health conscious and recognise we must do our bit to look after our health, make positive health choices and have the data and chronology of events to support our discussions when we need to engage with the NHS.
In this article we look at the role of health tech and the current and changing landscape of the NHS and the role of ‘at home’ health tech. The second article in April will expand on ‘at home’ health monitoring and the benefits of wider integration from a population health management perspective. Through personal reflections and real-life examples, we outline a vision for a future integrated digital health service. The final article on this topic and arguably the most important of them all, is our May article which will cover data governance and the legal frameworks that need to be navigated to realise the full potential of an integrated digitally enabled proactive health service.
The UK position
The UK Government NHS Long Term Plan aims to increase the range of digital health tools and services available, with patients able to seek health information and support online, and choose whether they speak to a doctor on the phone or in person. A wide range of NHS-approved apps will help people to receive on-going support to help them manage their health and wellbeing needs, backed up by face-to-face care when this is needed. In their efforts to drag the NHS into the 21st century, the digital transformation has started, and promises to:
- Provide digital services and tools to give people more control over their own health and the care they receive from the NHS
- Extend to everyone the NHS App as a new digital ‘front door’ to give people secure digital access to their own medical records; find trusted information about their health online; and allow patients to conveniently book appointments and view test results online.
The digital transformation encompasses both “digitising” services and processes that have traditionally been delivered physically or on paper (such as offering remote appointments and keeping electronic patient records, and moving away from the traditional face to face contact and paper based notes and record keeping), as well as greater reliance on more innovative approaches to care that are enabled by advances in technology. The latter is advancing the offer to patients and services and how advancement in technology can enhance or significantly improve the service from a diagnostic, treatment and monitoring perspective.
Despite this recent rapid adoption of digital technologies, the health and care system remain at the early stages of digital health, with many tools replicating physical approaches and processes rather than taking advantage of what makes digital different, and digitally enabled care. The slow pace to transform even the processing of patients through the system, highlights the enormity of the task and the systemic failure to grow and develop the service organically as and when technical advances emerged. This has resulted in a very slow and administratively heavy and expensive logistic, with high risks for human error, mismanagement of documents and lost data, and without feedback loops that can identify these mishaps and address them in a timely manner.
A report published in 2020, by the National Audit Office (NAO) evaluated previous attempts of digitalising the NHS and concluded that it had been “expensive and largely unsuccessful” with key targets, such as a “paperless” NHS by 2020 missed. According to the NAO, digital transformation of the NHS is challenging because of factors including:
- A lack of infrastructure with appropriate digital capability
- A lack of interoperability, meaning that different systems for storing data cannot “speak to” each other.
- A lack of digital leadership and specialist digital skills, and a lack of digital skills in the wider workforce.
These challenges and concerns identified in 2020 are still relevant today, with very little movement in this time. The UK and Devolved Governments in the UK are under increasing pressure to reduce waiting times, increase staffing resource and improve access to timely and evidence-based care of excellent quality. This, in our opinion, cannot be achieved in the absence of a high functioning, intelligent and autonomous IT and Data infrastructure that can support patients and services to improve health and wellbeing.
The Department of Health says that by “taking the right national and local decisions on digital now” it will be able to deliver on the four goals of reform. These are intended to ensure that the health service is equipped to:
a) prevent people’s health and social care needs from escalating;
b) personalise health and social care and reduce health disparities;
c) improve the experience and impact of people providing services; and
d) transform NHS performance.
Advancements in technology offer innovative solutions to increase healthcare access and deliver these services, faster, cheaper and closer to home. But challenges remain for the NHS and whilst our services grapple with demand and increasing backlog and depleting budgets, the realisation and the potential of this digital transformation cannot be realised without the sufficient funding, resource and impetus to drive this simultaneously as firefighting the current situation.
In this article series, we examine the technologies most likely to change health and care over the next few years. Some of the technologies we discuss are on the horizon; others are already in people’s pockets, their local surgeries, hospitals, homes and communities. But few are systematically deployed in the health and care system, and none have reached their full potential. Each could represent an opportunity to achieve better outcomes or more efficient care and improve patient experience. We will argue in this article that for now, at least, in the absence of the national infrastructure that we turn our attention to our patients and focus on the tools, apps and gadgets that are already available and being used on a daily basis; and we improve and increase the use of these innovations in the community.
Our position highlights how increasing use of these ‘at home’ and consumer devices can empower patients to take accountability of their health and wellbeing, improve health literacy and with some interoperability can also support holistic tracking and monitoring, as well as helpful and insightful lifestyle choice suggestions based on real-world data, habits and routines. Increasing integration of these devices into our day to day lives offers some pragmatic and economic benefits and functionality, which could support clinical decision making, monitoring and planning, if we integrate these powerful resources into the national digital infrastructure down the line.
The positionality of patients and health literacy
In today’s healthcare landscape, patients are increasingly encouraged to take control of their health and wellbeing. However, many find themselves at a crossroads, unsure of where to turn for support. Here at MPM Health we believe in putting the patient front and centre of their health and supporting them to take an active role in being the best version of health and wellbeing they can be.
We are working with global innovative health tech companies to bring the very latest and best to patients, and supporting them from the comfort of their own home, from wearable health tech, to personalised data and health status reporting, we are on a mission to improve health literacy and empower patients to take control of their health and wellbeing; and to enhance the NHS through an integration of ‘at home’ and community based care provision.
Health literacy is crucial for better health outcomes and behaviour change. Patients with higher health literacy are more likely to engage in healthy behaviours and navigate the healthcare system effectively. Unfortunately, research indicates that poorer communities and those with low literacy levels often struggle to achieve positive health outcomes. By providing clear and accessible information, we can help these patients understand their health conditions and make informed decisions.
We are working to ensure that services are based on the foundations of improving health literacy and reducing inequalities. At its core, our vision seeks to provide precision medicine and person-centred care, allowing services to be delivered closer to home and with patients more in control and involved. One way to do this is by ensuring that patient information is provided in accessible and inclusive ways, through the use of infographics, easy reads, video format and audio, which can present jargon free overviews of simple test results such as a recent blood test, to more complex exchange such as understanding a diagnosis, improving lifestyle choices and genetic considerations.
Empowering individuals to make informed choices
Wearable health technology, such as smartwatches and fitness trackers, can play a significant role in empowering patients, and offer the perfect introduction to monitoring and feedback which can provide the data and information for informed choice making.
In recent years, wearable health technology has rapidly evolved from niche gadgets for fitness enthusiasts to mainstream tools for individuals seeking to take control of their well-being. These devices, ranging from smartwatches and fitness trackers to more specialised medical wearables. These devices offer users a window into their own health by continuously monitoring metrics such as heart rate, sleep patterns, physical activity, and even blood glucose levels. They are typically worn for a long time and gather large amounts of data from the wearer on specific biometrics or behaviours. App stores already feature thousands of health and wellbeing apps, encompassing everything from diet diaries and mindfulness guidance, to period trackers and musculoskeletal rehabilitation support. ‘At home’ or portable diagnostics can range from connected devices such as blood pressure monitors, ECG and Oximeters to hospital-level diagnostics in the home or community.
One of the most profound benefits of wearable health technology lies in its capacity to empower individuals to make positive lifestyle choices by fostering greater self-awareness. Wearables encourage users to take proactive steps towards healthier living. For instance: • Activity Tracking: Smartwatches that track steps, calories burned, and activity levels prompt users to integrate more movement into their day, combating sedentary lifestyles. • Sleep Monitoring: Sleep tracking helps individuals recognise patterns affecting rest, motivating improvements in sleep hygiene. • Heart Health: Devices that track heart rate variability can alert users to potential cardiac issues, promoting early medical consultation. • Chronic Condition Management: Wearables designed for continuous glucose monitoring empower those with diabetes to manage their condition more effectively.
The constant feedback loop of data and insights helps individuals to stay motivated and make informed choices, fostering long-term behavioural change. Beyond lifestyle changes, wearables are also being designed to offer personalised health insights, leveraging AI and machine learning to analyse patterns and predict potential health risks. This can lead to more targeted interventions, such as tailored fitness plans or early warnings for conditions like atrial fibrillation. By providing actionable insights, wearables become more than just data collectors, they become personalised health coaches and allow the individual to be more in control of their health and wellbeing, and an active agent in their health monitoring.
Leveraging personalised data and capitalising on empowerment and motivation
Preventative care is key to maintaining good health and preventing or delaying the onset of chronic diseases. Access to quality healthcare is a fundamental right and a cornerstone of a thriving society. However, many individuals face barriers that prevent them from accessing the care they need, and health disparities are growing in the UK, with our poorest communities living less or longer in poorer health, than those from higher socio-economic areas.
Personalised data can better inform patients about lifestyle choices and proactive preventative steps for their overall health and wellbeing. By using AI and technology, we can increase agency and control at the patient level, by improving their knowledge and understanding of health in general, and understanding the data captured by wearable health tech and smart phone apps. Improving understanding and coaching through the benefits of positive changes and health promoting behaviours and reducing health harming behaviours.
Our approach in MPM Health is to make things simpler and easier to integrate into our everyday lives, so we reap the benefits of their use. We are a firm believer in translating knowledge and learning from other areas that can help us address the key challenges faced in health.
We can take lessons from marketing and apply the same principles to promote positive health behaviours. Consider this, just as we get notifications that remind us about items in our shopping cart, or upcoming sales, and warnings that a regular product that we purchase is running low, similar strategies can be used for health promotion. These principles are designed to make us pay attention and to act, and by adopting these marketing techniques, we can support patients in making healthier choices.
For instance, an app could suggest walking routes for a user if they notice that the step count is not in line with their daily average. It could suggest joining a yoga class or tai chi class if it notices that there is a negative change in resting heart rate. This approach not only improves digital access for patient choice but also enhances health literacy for better health outcomes.
Final thoughts
Empowering patients to take control of their health and wellbeing requires a multifaceted approach. By improving health literacy, increasing the use of wearable health technology, leveraging personalised data, and capitalising on intrinsic motivation through the application of marketing principles to healthcare, we can support patients to navigate the system and make informed decisions for better health and wellbeing outcomes.
This article explored the role of wearable health technology and how it can encourage the public to take an active and proactive role in their health and wellbeing. Wearable health technology has evolved and moved beyond just counting steps or tracking sleep, it’s transformed into a sophisticated ecosystem capable of monitoring vital health metrics, guiding lifestyle choices, and potentially transforming how we approach healthcare in the future.
Encouraging healthy lifestyles is crucial for long-term wellbeing, and economic growth and as technology advances, the integration of wearable data with healthcare systems like the NHS presents an exciting opportunity to revolutionise both personal health management and population health strategies. The next article in this series will take us a step closer and explore the future of proactive care. We will take a deeper look at the integration of wearable data and health system data for population health management, and how this could transform the service as we know it, to a data driven, proactive and personalised service.
Let’s chat.
If you work in healthcare please share your thoughts, or if you know someone who does please share this article with them so they can. Maybe you and your team have experience of using wearable health tech with patients? Maybe you see the benefit of its use within your area of work? Can you offer your reflections for others? We would love to hear from you.💡 Additional Insights:
NHS long term plan for digital-transformation
Digital transformation in the NHS – NAO report
NHS England » Digital transformation
Digital transformation in the NHS
A plan for digital health and social care – GOV.UK
The digital revolution: Eight technologies that will change health and care | Kingsfund
Abolition of NHS England and the concern for digital transformation