NHS Digital “working through” healthcare IoT complexity
The interconnection via the internet of computing technology embedded in devices (including wearable tech and mobile phones) is known as the Internet of Things (IoT). There are obvious and compelling reasons why the IoT could transform healthcare, for example by monitoring drug compliance, activity, heart rate and any number of other things that might enable a patient to be supervised at home rather than in hospital. But if one thing can prevent the IoT from transforming the way we live and work, it will be a breakdown in security and lack of patient trust.
As Digital Transformation Director for the NHS, Beverly Bryant recently spoke about the complex issues surrounding patient data, and how these are slowing the pace of digital healthcare transformation.
As NHS Digital begins to consider options for incorporating the use of wearable and smart devices to support aims for more personalised care, Bryant believes it is vital to introduce a means of allowing patients to individually control how their data is used.
“[The patient] will decide and choose what happens to their data about them. However, there are complications and the National Data Guardian review is looking at how, as a society, we can improve health services and use the data that we have,” she said.
Since NHS England announced in July 2016 that it would be dropping its care.data project, which was designed to make use of patient data extracted from GP records with the aim of informing clinical planning and other health initiatives, authorities have yet to respond to a consultation on sharing information and allowing individuals to opt out from sharing.
Patient data is seen as a key component of NHS England’s ‘Five Year Forward View’ plan for pursuing closer integration of health and social care through technology and information sharing to better handle operational and cost pressures facing the NHS.
To help meet these aims, Bryant outlined considerations for the potential use of wearable devices and IoT to support patients to better manage their care, based on the data they generate.
“This has a huge potential for patients, for frontline staff and for the system. We could reduce hospital stays when people are only staying in for supervision,” she said.
Bryant argued that governance around liability for both the data and decisions made around sensor-led technology would need to be finalised if IoT technologies are to be prescribed by staff. Although a complex issue, she said it was in the process of being worked through.
She said, “Why can’t we have a discussion about the future potential of technology, but at the same time have a talk about how we make sure to do this in a safe way with consent so that individuals and clinicians know what they are getting into?”
Our experience at Indigo working in the digital healthcare transformation realm with clients including NHS and med tech start ups, very much backs up this principle. Should these data security and patient trust objectives be met, it would be possible to hook up NHS services to support wider self care and prevention aims, as well as allowing patients to access their records via apps and make use of additional services to reduce the pressure on hospitals and front line staff.
Indigo developed the NHS Common Childhood Illness app, and it is easy to imagine that parents and NHS services could benefit even more if they were able to link up with children’s medical records within the app. We won the NHS Bright Ideas in Technology Award for the ActiveME app for patients with ME, but the app could be such a rich source of research data if it interoperated with patient data throughout the UK.
However, until data security and patient trust issues are worked through at policy level, these developments remain future goals to work towards for those of us keen to develop the digital healthcare revolution.