BMJ Inviting Comments on Their Article: "Should All NHS Premises Provide Free Access to Wi-Fi?

This BMJ article concerning the British National Health Service providing free access to Wi-Fi on its premises is generating an interesting debate. Readers are invited to reply to the article. My reply can be seen at the end of this post. Take the time to read the other responses, particularly several mentioning the health risks of Wi-Fi. 

Should all NHS premises provide free access to wi-fi?

BMJ 2015; 351 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.h4098 (Published 12 August 2015)
Cite this as: BMJ 2015;351:h4098

Victoria Betton, mHabitat programme director, Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Leeds, UK, Grant Ingrams, deputy chair, IT subcommittee of the BMA General Practitioners Committee, London, UK
Correspondence to: V Betton victoria.betton{at}nhs.net, G Ingrams gji{at}nhs.net

Internet access is not only expected by patients but also essential to shared decision making and better outcomes, says Victoria Betton. But Grant Ingrams thinks widespread deployment of wi-fi is a luxury that mustn’t take priority over other technological needs

Yes—Victoria Betton

Aspirations for digital technology to transform health and care systems are high. The UK government’s reportPersonalised Health and Care 2020 sets out a framework for digital technology to improve patients’ experience and outcomes with more efficient services.1 Citizens will have full access to their care records, an expanding set of NHS accredited health and care apps, and digital information services. We will transact with health services by accessing diagnostic results, ordering prescriptions, and contributing patient generated information to our care record.
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