The Independent sends journalists to cover developing stories across reproductive rights, climate change and Big Tech, operating without paywalls and funded by reader donations. Donations support on-the-ground reporting, investigations and documentary production, with a stated commitment to making quality journalism available to everyone. A new Diabetes Health Check app from diagnostics company PocDoc combines the finger-prick gold-standard test with a smartphone app to enable rapid screening for type 2 diabetes and related biomarkers. NHS trusts in Cumbria and the North East are piloting the app ahead of a planned nationwide rollout. The app could cut diagnosis time to under ten minutes and potentially save the NHS billions while addressing undiagnosed cases among millions of UK residents.
The world's first smartphone test for type 2 diabetes could see diagnosis time cut from weeks or months to less than 10 minutes, experts have said. NHS trusts in Cumbria and the North East of England are the first to give patients access to the Diabetes Health Check app, with a nationwide rollout planned for later this year. The creators of the app at diagnostics company PocDoc added that the test could save the NHS billions.
Approximately 5.2 million people in the UK have type 2 diabetes, and a further 1.3 million are thought to be undiagnosed. The new test, which combines the gold standard finger-prick test with a smartphone app, is set to revolutionise preventative treatment for the disease, which costs the NHS 8.8 billion a year. Enabling screening for type 2 diabetes risk, including blood biomarkers via a smartphone app, is something that has never been done before, said Steve Roest, CEO at PocDoc.
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