Collette Johnson, businesses development manager medical at Plextek Consulting, said that digital health providers will find it easier to convince the NHS to buy into their innovations if they first drive consumer demand for those services. She said consumer lobbying can help drive the NHS to open itself up to digital health adoption.

Johnson was speaking at an event hosted by Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-Law.com, on mobile health (m-health) opportunities. Johnson has been involved in encouraging m-health adoption within the NHS.

Consumers are likely to be more engaged with the concept of digital health if the focus is on improving their ‘wellbeing’ rather than on treating sickness and illness, David Priestly, sales director at insurer Pru Health, said. Channelling focus in this direction can improve consumer tolerance for digital health solutions, improve health outcomes and ultimately help tackle the « huge problem in our society » posed by chronic diseases, he said.

See on www.out-law.com