Suffering from a UTI? You can now diagnose it and receive treatment at home using your smartphone

Receive a test and treatment in the same day 
Velieve's service lets you carry out a UTI test at home and receive treatment in only a few hours
Healthy.io Ltd
Amelia Heathman5 May 2020

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common types of infections, affecting around 92 million people a year worldwide. They’re difficult to deal with too: a Public Health England survey found that 95 per cent of women suffering from a UTI had to visit a doctor and 74 per cent have had to take antibiotics.

This can be stressful in normal life when booking a doctor’s appointment and taking time off work isn’t always an option, let alone when you’re self-isolating and unable to visit a GP’s office.

Now your smartphone can help you diagnose a UTI and receive treatment for the infection. Health tech start-up Healthy.io is focused on turning your phone’s camera into a medical device and its new service, Velieve, does just that.

“There’s no doubt that for many women being able to treat a UTI at home will be really very convenient,” said London-based GP Dr Nisa Aslam. “This is even more helpful during the Covid-19 pandemic when many women maybe self-isolating or can’t or don’t want to go see or phone their practice.”

Only available in London at the moment, you can book a Velieve testing kit to your home and it should arrive within three hours via the Velieve.io website. Carry out the test and then use your phone’s camera to read the dipstick; the Velieve service uses an algorithm to read the test via its proprietary app.

This test is then submitted to a remote clinician for analysis, thanks to a partnership with Medicspot, who will review it alongside the patient’s symptoms. If a UTI is diagnosed, antibiotics can be ordered and delivered that same day.

Speaking about the launch of Velieve’s at-home service, Healthy.io’s managing director and chief commercial officer Katherine Ward said: “Now, more than ever, there is an urgent need for home testing. That’s why we are thrilled to offer this service to women suffering from UTIs in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis and beyond.”

The Velieve app guides you through the testing process
Healthy.io Ltd

This is a private service so there's a cost involved. As part of the launch, Healthy.io is offering the service for £10 for the next 60 days, which includes the kit delivery and the online consultation. If antibiotics are needed, that will cost a further £15. After the 60-day period, the test will cost £29.

This isn’t the first time Healthy.io has offered a UTI test service. The company launched a pharmacy service last year which is available at 1,600 pharmacies across the UK, including Boots. In the US, Healthy.io’s smartphone test can also be used to diagnose chronic kidney disease. The Israeli-based company has raised £62 million in funding so far from the likes of Samsung NEXT, the innovation arm of the electronics giant.

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