Again, I kept rough notes from this webinar ‘The World of Apps: Digital Transformation In The NHS’:
- Check out https://simplysociology.wordpress.com/
Reminder of the project
- What are young people using in their everyday lives to learn about being healthy, to participate in online forums, use for tracking, etc. Combined versions to be healthy.
- 1000 11-18 year olds, surveys, what are the milestones for types of tech being used when/what for/what kind of health messages are they receiving, within the context of their wider lives? What do they see as safe/reliable? How make changes/choices around health behaviours.
- Interviews for more in-depth
- Apps – people use for a certain amount of time, then want to move onto the next one. Talking to them in real-time as they use those technologies…
- 75% young people owned first tablet/mobile between 8-11… Want to know where to go for safe information…
Hazel Jones, NHS Digital
- Hazel Jones, NHS Digital, joined 10 months ago. Beta library to test concepts, hadn’t thought strategy and needs trying to address. If thousands of apps already existing, but not been checked for clinical effectiveness. Too much choice, no evidence base as to whether they clinically safe/effective.
- Apps are already provided for e.g. smoking cessation, but what about social/clinical workers, etc. Also want to talk to developer marketplace… How can add value – don’t want to stifle it, but how NHS can leverage it better, and a framework to ID what a good app looks like, etc. Prioritise those that can have the biggest thinking.
- Good transactional services, e.g. Echo, etc. but not the clinical data. Having to work across the different regulators, etc. This week been developing question frameworks for developers … also own research around the apps library.. not a useful way of finding, but in thinking about the questions that people are asking and how they can find these tools as part of their user journey, etc. Knowing that young people use YouTube, etc. so much, how use that knowledge to surface digital tools for them… self-management and choice in engaging with the healthcare sector. NHS Collection in Apple store… for those that have been through testing.
- NHS: Risk averse, so app assessment = slow/limited choice, so launching approved assessor framework to speed up some of that process… How does this trickle down to users? Not one app fits all … different users will want different capabilities so looking to creating choice – choose from approved selection of apps, people tend to try new apps – market choice should encourage more app development…
- How does the NHS work? Hazel new to public sector. Want to leverage what’s already there rather than reinvent the wheel… ‘Seal of Approval’, with NHS keeping on top of new releases, then innovation hub will start to direct needs, etc. Commissioning side from NHS England – see new worker for digital strategy/comms…. Re GP knowledge.
- What about using the physical hospital spaces to spread knowledge of digital tools? What about developing NHS wearables?
- Does health information get undermined by simplifying it (too far?). See ‘Chat Health’ (text service) .. developed by Leicestershire Health Trust. Lots of user testing to ensure that the app works, can be trusted, etc.
- Do apps change/reinforce the power relationships GP/patient (think film, documentary, tends to change things). More conversation between Dr/patient, but don’t take for granted digital literacy.
- Most of the apps I’ve been playing with on my ‘health journey’ has come from suggestions from others in FB groups that they’ve found them helpful (mind you, there’s some crazy food, etc. ideas on there too, so pinch of salt with those), so NHS endorsement sounds good!
- Concerns about privacy/data protection re being online, rather than thinking about health data, etc.
- The fear of ‘replacement of face to face contact’ comes out well from e.g. church online which is where I’ve floated around for last few years! Research v much shows people use on top, or for people who wouldn’t otherwise access offline options anyway ..
- Understand how techs work in relation to other contexts – e.g. Instagram fitspiration, etc. re tracking…
- Wariness about self-diagnosis:
- Already have NHS Choices, and team has a practicing GP behind them. GPs are under pressure so how use e.g. information handout rather than going in…
- See also: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wdp/.
- Who gets to access the data? Can the NHS benefit from some of the app data, or does that belong to the app maker? If it conforms with legislation then NHS Digital is happy…
To come:
April: AI Webinar
May 16th: House of Commons event
Photo by rawpixel.com on Unsplash
