Will the digital cavalry rescue the NHS?

Abstract

In an NHS that is underfunded, underdoctored and overstretched,1 digitalisation is seen as the cavalry. Rising clinical demand and chronic multimorbidity associated with an ageing population are adding to the complexity of clinical care delivered by a widening range of staff. Superimposed on this is the aspiration to deliver patient care closer to home.2,3 However, physicians in secondary care already identify lack of continuity of care as their main concern,4 with up to 25% reporting continuity in their own hospitals as poor. This is a priority for patients as well, with fragmented care a major concern.5 Extending the reach of specialist care into the community further challenges the delivery of coordinated clinical care and threatens to overwhelm traditional service boundaries of primary, community and secondary care. In this context there has never been a better time for digital integration to facilitate a new paradigm of ‘joined up’ care. From a global perspective starting …