Technological approaches to improving care

Advances in technology are transforming health services, with innovators constantly coming up with new ways to use information technology in primary and secondary care. But for an innovation to be outstanding, it should get to the heart of problems faced by healthcare providers— such as patient safety and accuracy of results. At a time when service providers are being required to cut costs, schemes also need to be cost effective and improve efficiency.

Many of the entrants for the BMJ Group award for transforming patient care using technology met all these criteria. What made the four finalists stand out was that they had clear evidence—including positive feedback—that their innovations were making a genuine difference to patient care.