We’re all guilty of it. A headache. A persistent cough. Tiredness that coffee isn’t curing. It’s incredibly tempting to take our ailments to a search engine. With an overstretched NHS and lengthy waits for appointments, more people are heading online for health advice. Rarely do we know if we’ve found the right answer, but we do unlock a world of self-diagnosis rabbit holes, anxiety and so-called ‘cyberchondria’.
But even when we do get the information we need, do we really know what to do with it? Health literacy continues to be a global issue, and the UK is no exception. More than 4 in 10 adults struggle with health content intended for the general public. This jumps to 6 in 10 for content that also includes numbers or statistics.
Fortunately, innovations in tech are starting to address these challenges. Here are just some of the ways they stand to move us beyond DIY diagnosis and improve our access to clear, timely support.
Getting a handle on our own health
Interpreting our health, or the health of those we love, can feel overwhelming. I mentioned in my last column how taken aback I was when I couldn’t interpret a medical letter I received about my son. Uploading a photo of the letter to ChatGPT instantly translated the jargon into information I could understand. None of us is immune to these gaps in understanding, even when we’re familiar with the healthcare system. Research shows that health literacy-related problems account for up to 5% of the UK’s national health spending.
One innovative tool tackling this issue is CardMedic, an app designed to improve communication between patients and healthcare providers. CardMedic provides visual aids, translations and a library of scripts for routine clinical interactions. It explains medical procedures and diagnoses in language designed to be understood by everyone – helping patients feel more informed and confident about their care.
More people are also shifting towards continuous monitoring that helps them stay ahead of any potential conditions, embracing solutions like Neko Health, Zoe, SAVA, and Unravel Health for personalised health insights. While tools like these are currently more accessible to those with higher incomes, costs are likely to decrease over time. And, as the NHS increasingly invests in preventative solutions, we should see these tools integrated into healthcare systems and become more widely available.
This shift could improve health outcomes by detecting conditions earlier and allowing for proactive management, reducing the risk of more serious issues down the line.
Employing virtual health assistants
Last year, my colleague Michael Tefula, Head of Product at Ada, predicted that 2025 would be a pivotal year for personal AI-driven health assistants becoming a central part of our daily lives. These virtual assistants are evolving far beyond basic symptom checkers, offering an integrated approach that can track our wellness across various aspects of life. Technology that automatically analyses your diet through photos, monitors your physical activity, and assesses sleep quality to provide personalised, actionable advice for improvement.
It’s an area we’re extremely excited about because it brings health management to the forefront in a more proactive and accessible way. Ada Health, Olivia Health, and Docus are all building AI companions which can help users identify potential conditions by learning from their unique health profiles. These innovations are paving the way for a future where we no longer have to rely on Google searches for health advice, and we may well have AI-powered companions guiding us every step of the way.
Waving goodbye to waiting lists
Waiting lists for treatment in the UK and beyond are a significant issue. The longer the wait, the more opportunities there are for patients to turn to Google in search of answers. We’re also seeing these waits lead to attempts at self-treatment: one in ten Britons admit to attempting their own dental work as a result.
Technologies that lift the strain on our healthcare system and its professionals are more crucial than ever. One company doing exactly that is Flok Health, an AI-powered physiotherapy clinic that provides same-day appointments for back pain. This stands to be transformative for the more than 20 million people in the UK who suffer from musculoskeletal conditions like back pain.
In GP surgeries too – often patients’ first port of call when something isn’t right – technology is becoming an essential ally. Heidi Health, for example, is an AI-assisted medical transcription tool that transcribes patient appointments, reducing the risk of errors and saving GPs precious moments in each consultation. It’s estimated that a saving of just one minute per patient could free up 5.7 million hours of GP time – helping more people get appointments (and robust clinical advice) quickly.
Fighting health misinformation
The proliferation of misleading information online has intensified since Covid-19. Now, alongside search engines, platforms like TikTok are becoming increasingly central to how the public seeks out health information, with research from AXA Health revealing that nearly one in three people in the UK now turn to social media for a diagnosis. AI tools, although capable of spreading misinformation, can also be utilised in the fight against false claims. By detecting, flagging and countering inaccuracies online at speed, they offer a way to safeguard the public’s access to reliable health advice.
MISSCI, for example, is a theoretical model created by IBM Research, TU-Darmstadt and MBZUAI, which can automatically detect when scientific evidence is being misused. This kind of innovation will be a powerful tool not just in reducing the spread of misinformation on sites like TikTok, but also in identifying when false statements leak into reputable news outlets.
Health is complex, and without the right support in place, trying to figure it out on our own can lead to confusion, fear and, most importantly, missed opportunities for proper care. These tech startups stand to empower patients and support clinicians, making it easier to get the information we need, when we need it. With their innovations, we can end the era of DIY diagnosis and enter into a new era of proactive, accurate health management.
