Articles by Staff reporter
Personal healthcare via smartphones is growing rapidly but doctors are divided over its merits
Over the next five years, the world wireless health market is forecast to grow by 19.43 per cent yearover- year to reach £23.43bn in value by 2016. The handheld devices and apps segment, comprising mobile devices and mobile apps, is one of the main contributors to the wireless health market growth globally.
And a snapshot of recently launched apps in the UK provides a measure of their growing ubiquity.
Stroke patients could be helped to hospital quicker with a new smartphone app. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh are set to release an application called Fast which identifies key symptoms of a stroke. It is hoped the app will help diagnosis, treatment and prevention.
Funding for the app has been provided by Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland (CHSS) whose research shows that stroke is the third-biggest killer in Scotland, behind heart disease and cancer. Fast asks users if the person can smile, can lift both arms and if their speech is slurred. If all these symptoms are present, the user is told to call 999.
The app, available on iPhone and Android handsets, points to different symptoms and indicators, while providing instant access to nursing staff and hospitals on demand. It is part of the Fast campaign by NHS Scotland and CHSS, aimed at treating and preventing strokes.
An app showing how alcohol can quicken the ageing process has been launched to help encourage women to stay within the recommended alcohol limits. The Scottish Government’s Alcohol Behaviour Change campaign, aimed at women, highlights th...
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