Top New Health Trends for 2021
Written by
Kayleigh Maxwell
Diagnosing illnesses at home will be the next step for healthcare in 2021. We’ve already rolled out our groundbreaking technology with the first of our at-home tests to check for UTIs (Urinary Tract Infections), helping to reduce the burden on GPs.
The global pandemic has accelerated the public’s need to take their health into their own hands. NHS Digital estimates that 27 million GP appointments have been lost between March and August this year*. It’s more important than ever for people to be able to engage in at-home testing so that they can get a faster route to treatment.
Fewer people are visiting their GP for what they view as minor ailments, and instead taking matters into their own hands with the help of telemedicine, healthcare apps, and AI-powered chatbots.
Smartphone apps now allow patients to do so much more to look after their health, from sending their doctors messages without a call, uploading documents, checking appointments, and viewing test results - but diagnosing illnesses with the help of an app will be the next step in 2021.
With TestCard you can take a UTI test quickly and easily at home, to check for a UTI such as cystitis, without needing to wait for doctors appointments or to take time off work for a test. Our innovative new technology will help save time for individuals allowing them to quickly share positive test results with their GP or healthcare professional.
The UK is a nation of people who expect things immediately, and there is more and more pressure on medical services to diagnose & treat people more swiftly than ever before. Our UTI test kit will help to optimise medical appointments and save both people, and healthcare professionals time.
Accessible, affordable medical testing
As TestCard provides access to instant results at home, it can also provide carers the ability to better look after loved ones - without them having to leave the safety and security of their own homes. From administering the test to receiving the results, this easy and convenient process means carers can better advocate for elderly family members, or even children, without them having to attend clinical settings. For some this may be difficult, distressing or even put them at risk.
For many people across the world, it can be extremely difficult to access any form of healthcare and a quick and simple test could improve health outcomes for millions.
We started TestCard with a clear aim - to make testing fast, accurate, and accessible for all. When you take a TestCard UTI test, the results’ screen indicates a clear answer and tells you if you need to seek medical advice. There’s no medical jargon or complicated numbers. The results are private and secure - you’re the only person who can decide if you want to share them with your doctor. Your doctor can then use the detailed numbers and analysis, which sits behind the results screen, to decide how best to treat you.
We have more treatments, more tests, and more people than ever before. But people still need to leave their homes to attend GPs or Emergency rooms to access healthcare. This simply isn’t scalable. We’re able to provide different routes to the same treatment destinations.
Our UTI test kit is the first of our planned products. Our mission is to make a range of affordable at-home testing available across the world.
*Between March and August last year, there were 146.2 million appointments made at GP surgeries in England. But between March and August this year, there were 119.5 million appointments made - though the data is still experimental due to the effects of the pandemic.