Digital revolution brings data challenges for NHS

Digital revolution brings data challenges for NHS Digital health technology could redefine healthcare for the better, but data security remains the greatest challenge

Alongside its industrial cousin, the digital revolution has created fundamental and irreversible changes to our way of life. Those changes are particularly apparent in the healthcare sector and from a UK perspective, digitally enabled services are a vital element in the strategy that the NHS is using to head off the £30bn black hole that will otherwise exist in its budget by 2020.

While the majority of us expect that goods and services be available within a couple of taps of a smartphone or tablet, in a healthcare context, a sizeable group of the population are either late adopters or remain seriously concerned about data security. Add to that the moral concerns that exist in relation to the commercialisation of patient data and you see the extent of the challenge that the NHS needs to overcome before it is able to realise substantial savings through use of digital health technology. Continue reading... The Guardian