Stop smoking site uses HealthVault

Life coaching company Solutions 4 Life has developed an online tool for smokers looking to quit, with integration into the Microsoft HealthVault platform.

People using the smokefreelife site can book appointments with trained advisors, either face to face or online using a computer webcam.

Users can see which advisors the service has online and can select who they would like to speak to. They can also upload information such as their latest blood pressure readings and weight, and choose to share this information with the advisors.

The information uploaded is stored in HealthVault, which is a personal health record platform that companies can use to store and share information from applications and devices that they produce.

Solutions 4 Live has smoking cessation contracts with a number of primary care trusts in England.

Its advisors are provided with a library of National Smoking Cessation Training-certified information, which they can share with users through an instant messaging function.

Professor Robert West, professor of health psychology and director of tobacco studies at University College London welcomed the site’s development.

"Telehealth is proving to be one of the most significant changes to healthcare in the UK, as it provides patients with an alternative method to managing their health and will play an important role in the future."