Why Google, Philips, and IBM Are Hooking Up with NHS

The National Health Service in the United Kingdom plans to launch a series of seven clinical trials for medical technologies with the backing of tech giants.

Kristopher Sturgis

NHS has announced its plans for seven trials, named "test beds," which aim to use different technologies from tech behemoths. It hopes that IBM, Philips, and Google's life science unit known as Verily, can help it address a series of healthcare challenges including improving how it provides diabetic support, chronic disease management, in-home elder patient care, mental health support, and prediction of healthcare needs.

NHS Chief Executive Simon Stevens states that the NHS "aims to cut through the hype, and test the practical benefits for patients when we bring together some of these most promising technologies," he declared at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.

The seven selected trials will test the use of novel technologies that aim to improve therapies for dementia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, chronic disease management, and mental health issues. The NHS has also set up two trials designed to integrate technology funded by the Internet-of-Things project, a transition that many officials in healthcare are preparing for.

"Remember the technology is just the enabler," said Kenny O'Neill, speaking on the NHS initiative on Digital Health's LinkedIn group. O'neill is the healthcare management consultant for Ernst and Young, a consulting firm based out of London. "The ways of working need to change as well. Will Pharma support this and help close the gap with the NHS?"

The NHS certainly hopes so, and will also be testing technologies that will aim to provide support and care for patients who wish to live and manage their health more independently. From gadgets that can check blood pressure and monitor insulin levels, to instruments that can monitor neurological signs and remind patients to eat and take medications.

"I would reiterate that this initiative needs to be delivered at scale," O'Neill said. "So that resources can be retargeted at a more integrated 'Out of hospital' model of care, to drive reduced admissions, patients owing their conditions, and a more sustainable health system."

NHS Chief Executive Simon Stevens remarked during the announcement that major health gains over the next decade won't just come from a few "miracle cures" -- they'll also come from combining diverse breakthroughs from all medical avenues including medtech, AI computing, mobile communications, biosensors, and drug discovery. The NHS has even partnered with Verily (formerly known as Google Life Sciences) to help determine if various data analysis technologies can help better prevent, detect, and manage diseases -- yet another target the NHS hopes to accomplish through this initiative.

Above all else, the NHS believes this initiative will provide the opportunity to demonstrate new, innovative solutions on a large scale, and that their partners will help the organization deliver wider benefits to patients as they are rolled out both at home and abroad. With big names like Google and IBM jumping on board, the project is certainly gathering momentum, and is certainly worth keeping an eye on in the coming months.

Still, it's worth noting that one of the challenges facing the burgeoning digital health industry is the lack of clinical data supporting its superiority over traditional technologies. The results of an early study that compared several digital health technologies to standard disease management programs reported little benefit in the novel technologies but did acknowledge some benefits in "health self-management" among the digital health group.

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