Microsoft is today launching HealthVault in the UK, a personal health data repository which has the implicit support of the Conservatives.
John Coulthard, Senior Director Healthcare and Life Sciences at Microsoft, says:
"According to research, 13% of the UK population are actively interested and engaged in looking after their 'wellness' - i.e. they do things such as exercise regularly, look after their diet, monitor their weight, take their temperature and blood pressure. Many of these people record this data in a variety of places - from apps on their phones to scraps of paper.
"Today, with the launch of Microsoft HealthVault in the UK, we are offering those people a central repository for that data, where information can be entered manually by an individual for themselves or their family - or automatically from a range of compatible devices including weight scales, blood pressure monitors and pedometers.
"Not only does HealthVault put users in charge of their own health data, but it also offers huge opportunities for organisations in the healthcare ecosystem to build applications and services that help people engage in their health and wellness.
"Moreover, the security features built into HealthVault mean that users can take control over who can access and use their data.
"At launch, I'm delighted to say we are partnering with MSN and Nuffield Health to provide applications that enable wellness management. With the My Health Info application hosted on MSN, users have a simple, yet powerful insight into their health data - helping them monitor their blood pressure, calculate their body mass index and measure the amount of steps they take as exercise.
"My Health Info is the first in - what we expect will be - a long line of applications developed for the HealthVault platform..."
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Comment:
A clever strategy - tying in a love of gadgetry and penchant for online self-help with personal healthcare. It may work, unlike the NPfIT Healthspace initiative.
Link:
Healthvault - its website
Microsoft HealthVault comes to the UK - Microsoft website
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The UK website is www.healthvault.co.uk and not the dot com link given in the article.