Digital health
Cleveland Clinic researchers found that a 12-week therapeutic virtual yoga programme for chronic low back pain can be a feasible, safe and effective treatment option. Chronic low back pain is very common — up to 20 per cent of adults worldwide have long-lasting or recurrent lower back pain. In severe cases, the pain can make [...]
Scaling up financing for new health tech could play a major role in enabling nations to slash the probability of their citizens dying before they reach 70. That is according to a global coalition of experts - the Lancet Commission on Investing in Health - that has drawn up an action plan for how any [...]
Two new apps will enable blind people to navigate indoor buildings with spoken directions from a smartphone app, providing a safe method of wayfinding where GPS doesn’t work. UC Santa Cruz professor of Computer Science and Engineering Roberto Manduchi has devoted much of his research career to creating accessible technology for the blind and visually [...]
A new European taskforce aimed at revolutionising cancer care through ‘theranostics’ – combining imaging diagnostics with targeted therapeutics – has been launched. GE HealthCare is leading the €25.3m project which brings together 29 European partners; representing academic and clinical sites, SMEs and patient advocacy groups. Thera4Care is aimed at revolutionising the use of theranostics to [...]
A cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) app has been found to significantly prevent increases in depression in young people who are at high risk - and could be implemented as a cost effective public mental health measure. Globally, concern is growing about the high and steadily increasing rates of anxiety and depression in young people. Effective [...]
Telehealth has been shown to be a viable long-term option for people living with HIV, potentially saving them time, effort and expense related to in-person medical visits. A study found patients receiving in-person care before the COVID-19 pandemic adapted well to telehealth appointments, maintaining their treatment regimens and health outcomes during the early stages of the [...]
A new report backed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) has outlined how using digital health solutions to tackle the growing burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) could reduce healthcare costs by US$199bn over the next 10 years. The report, developed jointly between the WHO and the International Telecommunication Union, outlines a systematic approach to implementing [...]
A new review has concluded that some video games created as mental health interventions can be helpful – if modest – tools in improving the mental well-being of children and teens with anxiety, depression and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). An estimated 20 per cent of children and teenagers between the ages of three and 17 in [...]
New research shows machine learning can be more effective than current methods to distribute scarce treatments to patients most vulnerable during a public health crisis. A new study has found a significant reduction in expected hospitalisations when using machine learning to help distribute medication using the Covid-19 pandemic to test the model. The model proves [...]
A damning report into the state of the NHS has called for a major overhaul, highlighting how technology in the service lags 15 years behind the private sector. Carried out by Lord Darzi, the report looked at the performance of the NHS across England and the challenges facing the healthcare system, saying the service is [...]
