An NHS Trust has launched a smartphone app aimed to help members of the armed forces deal with mental health issues.

The free app has been developed by the South Staffordshire and Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. The trust leads a network of NHS Trusts, known as Joining Forces, to provide inpatient mental health care to the armed forces.

The app details information about 11 common mental health conditions which typically affect service personnel, including anxiety, post traumatic stress and depression. Interactive videos are also included fronted by Dr Martin Deahl, the lead psychiatrist for Joining Forces and a serving Territorial Army Officer. These are aimed at helping individuals to identify the potential symptoms arising from these conditions in themselves or their colleagues.

The developers hope that the app will increase awareness, reduce stigma and encourage people to seek help for any conditions. They also intend that it will dispel any myths about mental health issues and give an understanding of where to get help.

The app has been endorsed by both the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Captain John Sharpley, from the MoD’s Joint Medical Command, described the app as “a major contribution to a better understanding of mental health”.

The app is available for free from the iTunes store for deployment on iOS devices.

Original Source BBC News

About Pathway Software

Pathway Software (www.pathwaysoftware.com) specialises in the design and development of patient information systems for Allied Health professionals.

Its flagship product, Therapy Manager, is an Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system specifically designed for Therapy Services to provide decision makers with the ability to track and manage clinical activity and analyse cost of care by patient, episode or service. The system also demonstrably reduces administration time and the costs of managing Therapy Services.

A survey of global IT trends has suggested that uptake of electronic patient records (EPR)  is at a tipping point, but that clinicians must do more to respond to digital patients if this it to be a success.

The Accenture survey of 3,700 clinicians in eight countries including the UK, USA and Spain, found that 90% reported using some form of electronic record and an average of four different clinical functionalities. 80% of clinicians also stated they thought EPR systems were integral to supporting better patient care, with 74% believing they reduced the chance of medical errors.

It was found however that clinicians lag behind their patients in the use of social and mobile tools, with the majority not yet using digital technologies to interact with their patients or with clinicians in other organisations. Only 10% reported that they communicate routinely with patients,  and only 22% communicate with clinicians in other organisations.

The annual survey showed that countries like USA, Spain and Singapore were taking the lead in health IT adoption and delivering benefits to patients.

Dr Sebastian Krolop, Head of Accenture’s Germany Health Practice, stressed the need for usable solutions.“If you talk to doctors about health IT you can see the pain in their face. It has to be a real solution, pure, simple and efficient,” he said.

Original Source eHealth Insider

About Pathway Software

Pathway Software (www.pathwaysoftware.com) specialises in the design and development of patient information systems for Allied Health professionals.

Its flagship product, Therapy Manager, is an Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system specifically designed for Therapy Services to provide decision makers with the ability to track and manage clinical activity and analyse cost of care by patient, episode or service. The system also demonstrably reduces administration time and the costs of managing Therapy Services.