Mobile health and apps news in brief

This month’s mobile health and apps roundup sees a prescription delivery app crowned Best British Mobile Startup 2018 at Mobile World Congress, and covers Uber’s launch of a healthcare platform for non-emergency medical transport in the US.

Echo named Best British Mobile Startup 2018 at Mobile World Congress

A free mobile app allowing patients to order NHS prescriptions and get them delivered to their door has been named Best British Mobile Startup at Mobile World Congress 2018.

Echo is a smartphone app that allows patients to automatically reorder prescriptions from their GP practice when their medication runs low and have it delivered to their doorstep free of charge. Patients are also able to scan in the barcode on their medication and have dosing instructions provided as ‘smart’ reminders on their mobile phone.

Having made the shortlist, which included entries from businesses across the UK, Echo co-founder and CEO Sai Lakshmi was invited to the congress in Barcelona.

There he presented a pitch to a panel of judges and hundreds of the industry’s global investors, with the company later being named the Best British Mobile Startup at the annual mobile technology tradeshow.

Online health marketplace app officially launched

An online health marketplace and app, created to take the pain out of sourcing, booking and paying for healthcare and wellbeing services, has officially been launched.

London-based WeMa is a healthcare platform that allows users to source, book and pay reputable providers.

Services range from domiciliary care, nursing and domestic help to personal care and hygiene, fitness, nutrition and more.

Users can either book one-off or ongoing sessions or services from multiple providers in one transaction.

AI telepharmacy app reaches 10,000 downloads in the UK

The creators of an AI-driven telepharmacy app launched in the UK claim it has been downloaded 10,000 times in three months.

Now Patient, which was created by the Now Healthcare Group (NHG), allows patients to get free delivery of their repeat prescriptions nationwide.

The app also offers a live chat facility with pharmacists and a triage service to connect worried patients to GPs, pharmacists and nurses.

Uber launches healthcare platform for non-emergency medical transport

Taxi app Uber has launched a healthcare platform for non-emergency medical transport in the US.

The company introduced Uber Health, a platform which allows healthcare professionals to order rides for patients going to and from the care they need, this month.

Unlike the Uber taxi app, users don’t need a smartphone to book a ride, as it is instead done through text messages.

Users can schedule their rides to take place immediately, within a few hours, or up to 30 days in advance.

Multiple rides can be scheduled and managed at the same time, all from a single dashboard.

Drug and alcohol recovery app launched in the US

An app that uses blockchain technology to help people addicted to drugs or alcohol has been launched in the US.

The Hayver app includes a verification system that requires daily check-ins and random urine tests, while providing a real-time look into the recovery progress of those suffering from alcoholism and drug addiction.

Their progress is also documented through blockchain in order to achieve complete transparency.

Health app claims to reduce readmission rates for heart attack patients

A smartphone app has been found to reduce readmission rates for heart attack patients, according to a US study.

The Corrie app, developed for iPhone, is the first cardiology app for the Apple CareKit platform. It is designed to help patients navigate the hospital discharge process by educating them about heart disease.

The app allows them to keep track of medications, follow-up appointments and lifestyle changes needed after a heart attack.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Centre in Baltimore studied 60 patients hospitalised with a heart attack, who agreed to use the app in the hospital and for 30 days after discharge.

Of the 60 participants, only 3% were readmitted for any reason within 30 days, compared with 19% of all heart attack patients at Johns Hopkins.