Digital Health Coffee Time Briefing ☕

Your morning summary of digital health news, information and events to know about if you want to be “in the know”. 

???? News 

???? Healthcare communications provider Cymphony has announced that it has reached net-zero carbon status through a partnership with Carbon Footprint Limited. Cymphony’s mission is to help healthcare providers improve day-to-day operations, such as bookings and communications. The NHS has set a target to reach net zero by 2040 for emissions that it can directly control. 

???? A trial tracker developed by Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to rapidly assess if patients are suitable to join research studies has received two nominations in the HSJ Digital Awards. The tool, developed with the support of the National Institute for Health and Care Research and Sheffield Biomedical Research Centre, is being used with patients who have had strokes, and is planned to be expanded to other clinical areas.

???? The Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute and Oxford Drug Design, a biotechnology company with core expertise in AI drug discovery, announced in May 2024 that their joint application for UK Medical Research Council funding has been awarded to advance novel cancer therapeutics discovery. 

???? A new sweat monitoring device for testing disease biomarkers has been developed that eliminates the need for physical activity to induce sweating. Dr Kim Joohee from the Bionics Research Center at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology and Professor John A. Rogers from Northwestern University jointly announced the development of a convenient sweat monitoring device that does not require physical activity but delivers drug stimulation through the skin. 

???? Oy Apotti Ab, based in Finland, has deployed uPerform, a ‘just-in-time learning platform’ for its Epic-based electronic health record (EHR) system. Apotti selected the platform to optimise the development and dissemination of learning materials to over a third of the Finnish healthcare workforce, with an aim to empower users to derive maximum value from the EHR. 

❓ Did you know that? 

Cervical screening saves at least 2,000 lives each year in the UK. However findings from the Hologic Global Women’s Health Index of data from 2022, revealed that despite overall improvements in screening rates, the number of women screened for cancer is less than 1 in 5.

A spokesperson for Hologic said: “This underscores a pressing need for increased awareness and enhanced access to screening services, especially for a cancer that can be eliminated”. 

???? What we’re reading 

Human Intelligence – using AI to unleash patient power – Beamtree’s Global Impact Committee has launched its latest report, highlighting the success of healthcare organisations that have found a way to develop new patient-facing digital services at speed and, critically, scale. 

???? This week’s events 

5-6 June, Munich – health.tech conference