GPs fear health apps will clog up system Nine out of ten family doctors believe smartphone health apps will clog up surgeries with middle-class “worried well”, a poll suggests. Three quarters of GPs also said that many more patients were seeking appointments after looking up their symptoms on the internet, in a sign that technology may be adding to the pressure on the health service. Ministers argue that a “technology revolution” similar to those in retail and banking could make the NHS much more efficient, but doctors say electronic health aids need to become much more reliable. Apps are increasingly capable of measuring vital signs such as heart rate, blood sugar and cholesterol levels, as well as monitoring distances walked and calories burnt. However, the poll of 300 GPs found that 82 per cent were concerned that a mass of sometimes unreliable or out-of-context data would make people worry needlessly. About one in seven people uses a health app, and the number is rising. thetimes.co.uk/tto/health/news/article4334367.ece
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 10:42:57 +0000
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