Doro, which specializes in mobile handsets and devices for the elderly, has released a whitepaper entitled Saving the NHS: The Role of mHealth and Technology in Delivering Sustainable Healthcare for an Ageing Population.

In it, the company calls for a major shift towards a preventative care system, where patients with non-chronic conditions are largely left to look after their own health, supported by mHealth technology.

Doro is calling on the Government to introduce clinical, cost-benefit trials focused on patient-recorded and evidence-based improved outcomes, using devices and systems that are designed with the needs of older users in mind.

“Many GPs believe that simply putting an app on a smartphone is good enough,” said Doro managing director, Chris Millington. “But this cannot work with an audience that faces great difficulty using touchscreens and has visual and/or hearing impairments that such devices do not address.”

Doro is also calling on the Government to introduce strategies and policies that integrate eHealth and mHealth interoperability into health services. It also feels that the  formation of an mHealth body or parliamentary committee would be beneficial in supporting this.

Most importantly, it says, preventive healthcare through mHealth must be seen as an investment, and GPs and Trusts should be encouraged to ‘prescribe’ technology and be rewarded for preventing hospital admissions.

“This is essential for a sustainable healthcare system,” said Millington. “Doing nothing will most certainly have deep and far-reaching economic and social consequences.”

To obtain a copy of the whitepaper, email doro@fire-pr.com

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