The innovators: the app that allows patients to track their illnesses

uMotif can send clinical information in advance to doctors, remind people when to take their medication and even monitor their mood

David Bedford suffers from Parkinson's disease and can sometimes forget to take one of the five different pills he needs to keep the condition in check. Worse, when he makes half yearly visits to the hospital for a check-up, he cannot remember the details of his daily routine.

Three years after he was diagnosed with the disease, he now uses a mobile phone app to remind him when to take the medication and to act as a diary of how his illness affects him. This attention to detail means that daily log is available before the short meetings he has with his consultant every six to nine months.