Health gadgets could save the NHS millions

We all know that health gadgets and apps make life easier for both the users and health professionals, but there is another compelling reason for governments and businesses to invest ion gadgets – they could end up saving millions of pounds.

At the moment the cash-strapped NHS is desperate top make savings so that it can maintain the high standards it attained (shorter waiting lists etc) during the last government. One route to saving cash might be to look to technology.

A recent reports from across the pond found that Americans are throwing away $33 million on unnecessary complete blood cell counts during routine check-ups. In the UK blood tests usually take hours to process, involves several professionals and is wasteful of resources like vials and needles.

According to this report professors and students at the Medical Electronic Device Realization Center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are looking to lower the cost of common blood testing and reduce the wait for results. They are routing blood-cells through a chip with electricity.

The ultimate goal is to create a device that uses a drop of blood instead of a whole vial for various blood tests. It could cut-out costly lab work and get patients’ results in minutes.

Here’s the ABC report on the breakthrough.