How can digital technology make us healthier and happier? In lots of ways. We have seen some ingenious answers over the last few years.

A relative newcomer to the Tech4Good Awards, this Digital Health Award captures the new technologies improving our health and wellbeing.

It’s a far-reaching category full of innovation. Digital technology is changing how we keep fit and how doctors and nurses treat us, from mindfulness apps and Fitbits to the use of artificial intelligence to identify early signs of illness.

Our past winners highlight some of the ways health-focused technologies and Apps are impacting our lives.

A mobile phone preventing blindness

80% of incidents of blindness could have been prevented. Peek Vision, our winner in 2014, had this figure in mind when they created a mobile eye-testing kit.

In the UK, we can take for granted our high-street opticians who can pick up early signs of visual impairments. However, doctors working in Africa can’t always transport bulky eye-testing equipment to more isolated communities.

Peek Vision’s affordable and easy-to-use testing kit can be uploaded onto a smart mobile phone. This means many more people’s eye sight can be saved.

A friendly app designed to ‘hold patients’ hands’ through tough times.

People with mental health, anxiety and mood disorders can often find it a struggle to keep on top of their treatment. Missed appointments can set them back and costs the NHS money.

The Buddy App was designed to help them through their treatment. It lets them record their feelings, set goals and it sends reminders for hospital appointments.

It was hugely successful. The 94% of patients using the Buddy App finished their treatment, compared to 46% who were not. It has since been rolled out to other NHS patients.

Digital tech giving doctors more time to spend with patients.

This visual story board has been changing the way doctors manage busy wards, saving time and money. This, in turn, has led to better patient care.

MyWard, developed by Devon Partnership NHS Trust, gives staff an instant picture of what is happening on each ward.

It links all the patient information together and the board operates in real-time, using a touch-screen system.

The board was a huge hit with both patients and staff. Over 90% of staff agreed that it contributed positively to patient safety and care.

Nominations open

For more information about the Digital Health Award please check our website. Entries close on 8 May.