New report calls for cultural shift in use of patient data by NHS and health technology companies

A radical culture change in the NHS and across the health data and medical technology community is needed to ensure the NHS can deliver the benefits of new health technologies, says a new report co-authored by a University of Oxford scientist. The report, published by the Academy of Medical Sciences , outlines principles that must be adopted by the NHS and medical industry so that digital information about patients can be used in smarter, more joined-up ways to revolutionise healthcare and support life-saving research. 'We are already seeing digital technologies that empower patients to manage their own health, for example by monitoring their own condition at home,' said Professor Lionel Tarassenko , Head of the Department of Engineering Science at the University of Oxford and a member of the report's steering committee. 'Technology will only evolve and get more sophisticated to have a bigger impact on healthcare in the NHS in the next ten years,' Professor Tarassenko added. Putting into action the set of principles recommended in the Academy's report will enable organisations, including the NHS and medical technology companies, to respect and protect the privacy, rights and choices of patients and the public. The principles will help provide safeguards to support patient data being used in ways that are fair, and will enable all NHS patients to benefit from the use of health technologies using patient data. Health technologies that are becoming increasingly important include wearable devices, mobile phone apps and intelligent monitoring devices.