The Tech Works. The System Doesn't: Portugal Buys AI Physio, the First AI Complaints Land, and the Wild West of Health Apps

This week on Pulse: Hot Topics, Louise and George look at what happens when digital health stops being a pilot and starts being a system decision — and why, again and again, the technology isn't the hard part.

Portugal Buys AI Physiotherapy for an Entire Country — Portugal's National Health Service has contracted Sword Health to make AI-supported physiotherapy available to all 10 million citizens, free after a prescription, prompting the question: are governments shifting from buying AI software to buying AI-delivered healthcare?

AI and Accountability: The First Complaints Land — The UK's first complaints about clinicians' inappropriate use of AI have reached professional regulators, arriving well before the evidence base and accountability frameworks are ready.

95% of Health Apps Have No Verifiable Regulatory Approval — Rudolf Wagner's analysis found that of nearly 96,000 apps qualifying as Software as a Medical Device, 95% had no verifiable CE marking or FDA authorisation, leaving consumers with no easy way to know what they're actually using.

Doctors Want Wearable Data, But Can't Use It — A new AMA(US) survey found 97% of physicians would review data from a patient's wearable, but no more than 6% have actually integrated it, blocked by missing standards, workflow fit, reimbursement and liability.

Virtual Care Could Transform Residential Aged Care — Australian researchers found virtual care between aged care homes and GPs improves access and reduces unnecessary hospital visits, but is undermined by poor integration, unreliable networks and limited staff training — the technology works, the system around it doesn't.

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Resources: Sword Health partners with Portugal's National Health Service Link First complaints made over clinician use of AI, HSJ via Patient Safety Learning Hub Link Ensuring the clinical impact of medical artificial intelligence, Andreoletti et al., Lancet Digital HealthLink Analysis of Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) Compliance in App Store Applications, Rudolf Wagner Link Docs unable to harness wearables data, survey finds, Axios Link Virtual care could benefit residential homes – study, Pulse+IT Link Virtual care in residential aged care homes, Journal of Medical Internet ResearchLink

Recommendations: Clinicians – be part of the research into clinician use of AI, open globally Link Standards Australia telehealth and virtual care standard Link There's An AI For That (TAAFT) newsletter Link Age-Friendly Futures newsletter, George Gouzounis Link "Welcome to the Land of the Free" — World Cup song by Jason Stills Link Visit Pulse+IT.news to subscribe to breaking digital news, weekly newsletters and a rich treasure trove of archival material. People in the know, get their news from Pulse+IT – Your leading voice in digital health news.

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