Impact of digital technology uncertain, report finds

A new report from the Nuffield Trust has found that although digital technology can transform patients’ lives, its impact on the NHS is far from clear.

The report, titled The digital patient: transforming primary care?, examines the impact of digital technology for patients, compared to the use and growth of digital technology in other areas of everyday lives, and finds that, despite some growth, its use in the NHS remains somewhat limited.

Investigating seven types of technology for patients in primary care, the Nuffield Trust finds that digital tools have already had a recognisable impact in transforming people’s experience of care - especially in the fields of managing diabetes or asthma.

However, the lack of fully assessed health apps and a lack of structure to support patients in using the technology are holding progress back. With 12.6 million people in the UK currently lacking basic digital skills, the NHS will also need to take great care to guard against the ‘digital exclusion’ of some patients.

The final point suggests that NHS staff need to work differently to encourage patients to use technology more frequently and confidently. Warning that the technology will not act as a ‘magic bullet’ for staff, the report highlights that patients are likely to get greater benefit from accessing their online records if they are shown how the information in the record can support self-care.

Sophie Castle-Clarke, who authored the report, said: “Technologies that patients can use offer some of the brightest hopes on the NHS horizon. Digital tools that help people stay healthy and manage their conditions at home will be critical to the future of the health service. The good news is that this is increasingly becoming a reality in the NHS. But this technology could be a double edged sword, and there’s still a lot we don’t know. Without regulation and a careful look at the evidence – not all of which is compelling – these digital tools could compromise the quality of care and disrupt the way care is provided.”

Read Sophie’s Health Business article The rise of the digital patient here - http://healthbusinessuk.net/features/rise-digital-patient