A smartphone app test for urinary tract infections could save millions of NHS

A smartphone app test could allow the NHS to save millions of pounds by helping women discover if they had a urinary tract infection without having to see a doctor.

Women will be offered a UTI Dip Test – a standard strip urine test used by GPs with a smartphone app that can accurately badyze the sample following the instructions of a virtual nurse.

Once the strip has been dipped into the urine, it is placed on a color chart that serves as a reference point for the camera to detect color changes that may indicate a bacterial infection.

The researchers said that the home use kit, developed by Healthy.io, provides a laboratory quality badysis and is more accurate than a visual program read by health professionals.

The NHS England pilot project is being tested in 38 Pharmacy First locations in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.

Samantha Travis, NHS England Clinical Leadership Consultant in the Midlands, said, "This pilot project is part of a broader project to improve community-based health care by making greater use of the skills of pharmacists.

"Our expanded" Pharmacy First "program, which allows patients to treat minor conditions treated by a pharmacist, has been applied in some pharmacies in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire since February 2018."

The test will allow women to quickly access treatment without waiting for a doctor's appointment.

The National Institute for Excellence in Health and Care (Nice) recommends that antibiotics immediately administer antibiotics to women with urinary tract infections.

Women whose test is not positive will have a follow-up consultation with a pharmacist to discuss a treatment or recommendation from a general practitioner.

One in three women develop a urinary tract infection before the age of 24 and one in two is infected at least once in their lifetime.

Infected urinary tract infections account for up to 3% of all visits to the GP.

In England alone, this could amount to about 10.2 million hits, which would cost the NHS more than £ 316 million.

Pharmacist Sid Dajani and the consultant of Healthy.io said, "If only one in 10 women with a urinary tract infection were treated in a pharmacy instead of her GP, the NHS would save 28 million pounds a year nothing that in England and there would be millions of additional appointments available for more serious or urgent problems. "

Tim Robinson, commercial director of the University Network for Health Sciences in East Midlands (EMAHSN), said: "Our goal as an organization is to identify, test and disseminate health innovations that improve patient outcomes and experiences and save NHS money.

"By supporting this technological pathway, we hope to provide patients with faster and easier access to the treatment of urinary tract infection and reduce the number of doctor appointments."