Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) benefits and (2) risks of using wearable technology and AI-driven monitoring systems to track vital signs in patients who are prescribed semaglutide; and whether those systems could be used to automatically alert healthcare providers or patients in the event of adverse reactions.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published early value assessment guidance on digital technologies for delivering multidisciplinary weight management services. This includes recommendations on which technologies can be used in the National Health Service to prescribe and monitor obesity medicines and deliver multidisciplinary weight-management services in adults.

The Department has not commissioned, and has no current plans to commission, research or an assessment into the use of artificial intelligence or wearable technology for people using obesity medicines. However, we recognise the potential of artificial intelligence, wearable technologies, and monitoring systems to support people’s health and care, including through the monitoring of vital signs.

Whilst we have not made a specific assessment of their use in patients prescribed semaglutide, we are actively exploring where these technologies can be safely, effectively, and appropriately used in the health and care system. Ensuring the safe integration of wearable technologies and artificial intelligence into clinical pathways requires careful consideration and collaboration with clinicians, patients, and technology developers.