From apps for health tracking, monitoring and fitness/nutrition to wearable technology, digital health products can transform your wellbeing as Michelle Higgs explains
“We all know we need to eat more healthily and move more to improve our physical and mental health. But doing it regularly is another thing. That’s where fitness and nutrition apps come in. Think of them as being like an encouraging friend in your pocket, motivating you to move more, to keep going and to stick to your goals”
“If you have a long-term condition that needs regular monitoring, technology can help you take back control and get on with your day-to-day life”
“Digital health technology is all about putting you in control of your health”
Facts/stats
Automated text reminders increased smoking quit rates by 50% to 60%
(National Institute for Health and Care Research)
People are twice as likely to say they took their medication as prescribed if they used an app
(National Institute for Health and Care Research)
71% of people in the UK are open to being treated through a virtual ward in the right circumstances
(The Health Foundation, 2023)
When it comes to healthcare, technology really can be a power for good. It has the potential to help you manage your own health so that you feel more in control. And it can save you time waiting for unnecessary appointments and save the NHS money too. It can even be life-changing for people with long-term health conditions that they can manage from home with wearable devices and monitoring.
The use of digital health tech was accelerated during the Covid-19 pandemic when we had to stay at home and practise social distancing. GP practices needed to limit their face-to-face appointments, and put into place virtual appointment systems instead. Apps were promoted to combat loneliness and boost mental health; and to increase activity levels to help us stay fit and healthy.
Post-pandemic, apps can be used to help you feel better informed about your health, enabling self-diagnosis and self-care of common medical problems, and highlighting when you should seek help from a healthcare professional.
There are so many apps available, it’s difficult to know which ones to choose and how useful they will be. Luckily, the NHS has tested thousands and approved a good number; you can find links to them throughout the NHS website. There also lots of useful apps developed by the NHS itself.
Fitness and nutrition apps
We all know we need to eat more healthily and move more to improve our physical and mental health. But doing it regularly is another thing. That’s where fitness and nutrition apps come in. Think of them as being like an encouraging friend in your pocket, motivating you to move more, to keep going and to stick to your goals.
At the most basic level, apps can monitor your activity levels, such as counting your steps, and give you a gentle reminder if you’re not on track. But that’s just the start. Apps can help you to lose weight or to maintain a healthy weight, and to be more active generally. Most apps will ask you to think about why you want to shed the pounds or get fit, so that you can set yourself realistic goals. You may already have some of the free NHS apps on your smartphone, such as NHS Weight Loss Plan, that helps you count calories; Active 10, that records all the minutes of walking you do; or Couch to 5K, a running programme for beginners. Time to fire them up and use them regularly!
Health tracking and monitoring apps
In addition to general healthy lifestyle apps, there are those that can help you to manage specific health conditions, such as diabetes, asthma, pregnancy and long Covid. But apps are not just useful for improving physical health – they are a great tool in boosting your mental wellbeing too. A wide range of apps focus specifically on mental health, helping to reduce low mood, stress, anxiety and even depression.
If you want to stop smoking, try the free NHS Quit Smoking app. This app is based on research that proves people who reach 28 days without smoking are five times more likely to quit for good. It will track your progress over time, provide daily support through messaging and advice, and even let you know how much money you’ve saved!
To help you towards drinking less alcohol, you could try the Drink Free Days app that allows you to choose a few (or more) days a week when you intend not to have anything alcoholic, gives you tips and reminders, and keeps you on target.
Wearable technology
These days, many of us use wearables like smartwatches to monitor our fitness levels. But this technology does far more than that, providing data about the intensity of exercise you take and showing various graphs to chart your progress. Your smartwatch can also tell you your resting heart rate, and will highlight when it goes above or below the normal range. Some wearables can track your sleep patterns, while others offer blood pressure readings. However, smartwatches are not medical instruments and should never be relied on for accurate medical readings.
If you have a long-term condition that needs regular monitoring, technology can help you take back control and get on with your day-to-day life. A good example is continuous glucose monitors (CGM) for people with type 1 diabetes who need insulin. A CGM is a wearable device that measures glucose levels in real-time without the need for finger prick tests during the day.
Wearables are also being harnessed by the NHS in the roll-out of ‘virtual’ wards (also known as hospital at home). People with complex conditions such as heart failure and respiratory disease are given the opportunity to wear monitoring devices in their own home. Readings are sent remotely to the virtual ward medical team and are closely monitored. In this way, patients can benefit from hospital-level treatment without having to take up a bed in hospital.
Access to your health records
Digital health technology is all about putting you in control of your health. This applies particularly to online patient management apps, such as the NHS app. Through it, you can access your own GP health record, listing all the care you’ve received from your GP. Anyone aged 16 or over who is registered with a GP can view their GP health record online – the only requirement is that they have an account on the NHS website or the NHS app on their smartphone.
In the app or online, you should be able to view your prescriptions, a list of any allergies you have and any vaccinations you’ve had, including for Covid-19. There will also be details of any health conditions you’ve been diagnosed with, notes from GP appointments, test results, and letters from specialists/hospitals that have been sent to your GP. This is really useful if, for example, you did not take everything in when you had your GP appointment and cannot remember all that was said. It’s also empowering to be able to see your health record all in one place because you can read it through and ask your GP about anything you don’t understand.
When you check your GP health record, you should tell your GP surgery if any information is incorrect, incomplete or missing altogether. It’s important to remember that you will normally only see the most recent information on your GP health record. If you wish to see older information, ask your GP surgery to make the data visible for you. Remember that the information about care from hospitals, opticians and dentists is not included in the GP health record. You also have the option of linking your records with other non-NHS health-related apps.
