Healthcare professionals ‘failing to prescribe tech’ to older patients

Older patients are being overlooked by healthcare professionals who are failing to recommend health apps to them which could have a significant impact on their wellbeing, research suggests.

Research from the Organisation for the Review of Care and Health Apps (ORCHA) revealed that GPs had recommended a health app to just 7% of over 45s, 4% of over 55s and only 2% of other over 65s. Similar patterns of recommendations were also found amongst other healthcare workers.

Yet despite this 55% of over 55s and 52% of over 65s are ready and willing to embrace health technology, ORCHA found. Even more significantly, 90% of over 55s and 81% of...