There is a vast array of health apps that we can turn to nowadays, but how many of those are backed by evidence remains unclear. Only in March, a study published in Nature Digital Medicine found that only two out of 73 mental health apps provided evidence from a study associated with their use. And in June, a paper released in the same journal pointed to the lack of standardised measures for the...
VitalityHealth and Doctify's new website. Health insurer VitalityHealth has partnered with Doctify, a leading online review and booking platform for medical consultants. They have developed ‘Vitality Specialist Finder’, a website where members can refine their search for doctors by speciality, rating and location, leave reviews and book appointments 24 hours a day.
Dr Ali Hasan, clinical...
When research published in EPJ Data Science journal found that machine learning could help detect signs of depression by examining Instagram posts of study participants, it made international news. Questions surrounding health, privacy and ethics started popping up around the world.
In Europe, futurist, author, researcher and founding CEO of Healthskouts Koen Kas has continuously tackled these...
Major electronic health record systems vendors are pretty innovative companies when it comes to keeping their products up to date with the changing requirements of delivering healthcare at health systems, hospitals and group practices.
But there is only so much big companies can do, and further, sometimes the perspective from an innovative upstart developer can shed light on new features and...
Cambridge, England-based health tech company Healthera has raised $3.8 million (£3 million) in a Series A funding round led by Accelerated Digital Ventures, with participation from Cambridge Enterprise and Future Care Capital, to accelerate its expansion across the UK and ‘triple the size of [its] commercial force’, according to Managing Director Martin Hao.
Healthera’s solution, already listed...
The stated mission of Babylon is global and ambitious, “to put an accessible and affordable health service in the hands of every person on earth”. They seem to be making good progress. Already 30% of the population of Rwanda, over 2 million people, have accessed their app-based primary care services and a recent deal with Chinese firm Tencent puts Babylon’s AI into the hands of the one billion...
Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust has introduced a new app that uses gaming and augmented reality in a drive to improve patient care through digital.
Children can choose and name their very own avatar which can then help them understand their hospital visit in order to keep them calm during their stay, using a ‘reward’ system after procedures that allows them to access additional...
Two years after launching its smoking cessation app Quitter's Circle, pharmaceutical company Pfizer is seeing impressive continued engagement with the app. It's also applying the lessons learned from Quitter's Circle toward other mobile health pursuits — including a recently-launched app for people living with cancer.
"We can do surveys right in the app," Mark Pizzini, Pfizer's digital strategy...
Smartphone apps designed for those with depression can significantly reduce users’ symptoms, according to the results of a recently published meta-analysis. While the findings are limited to those with mild-to-moderate depression, the apps’ consistent effect across age and gender suggest that the benefits are wide reaching.
"The majority of people in developed countries own smartphones, including...
