NHS tests new UTI home test app

The NHS is currently testing a new smart phone app to help women diagnose a urinary tract infection (UTI).

The application will be supervised by 37 pharmacies as part of a trial conducted in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire in order to free doctor's appointments.

It guides users through a urine test and allows pharmacists to badyze the results online.

Infected urinary tract infections account for 3% – 10.2 million – visits to general practitioners in England, which cost the NHS about £ 316 million.

• Latest news and stories from the East Midlands

Infections affect about 15% of women each year, the NHS said.

After talking to a pharmacist, a woman can receive a home test kit instead of being directed to her GP.

A gauge is placed in the urine, and then placed on a color chart used as a reference point for the patient's smartphone camera.

This image is then checked by a pharmacist for signs of infection and prescribed antibiotics if necessary.

Sid Dajani, pharmacist and consultant of the developer Healthy.io applications, said: "If only one in ten women with a urinary tract infection was treated in a pharmacy instead of her GP, the NHS would save 28 million pounds a year.

"And there would be millions of additional appointments available for more serious or urgent problems."

Dr. Ken Deacon, Medical Director of NHS England in the Midlands, said, "This innovative pharmacy system provides quick relief for women while freeing doctor's appointments.

"As part of the program, women who are not tested positive for urinary tract infection will have a follow-up consultation.

"This allows the pharmacist to further explore the possible causes of their symptoms and discuss a treatment or recommendation from a GP."

The trial will run until the end of the year.

Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your article ideas to [email protected].