Research shows up to 80% of medical details are forgotten immediately, and of the small amount remembered, nearly half is recalled inaccurately.

The problem has serious consequences: medication adherence is estimated at just 50%, contributing to half of all treatment failures, and poor communication is implicated in 70% of adverse events, with two-thirds occurring during patient handoffs. The impact is also financial and is estimated to cost the NHS £1bn per year.

Mirror discreetly captures consultations and produces personalised, plain-English summaries patients can revisit at any time, reducing anxiety, improving adherence, and supporting better outcomes.

It is designed for all types of medical interactions – whether in GP surgeries, hospitals, pharmacies, or other healthcare settings – ensuring patients have a clear, accurate record of what was discussed.

The tool enables patients to:

• Ask Mirror questions about their consultation and receive answers grounded in the actual transcript
• Share consultation summaries with family members or caregivers
• Better understand relevant topics with clinically-verified Aide content
• Review key points at any time, supporting long-term self-management and recovery.

The tool is expected to be particularly valuable for people with chronic conditions, those with limited health literacy, and individuals with cognitive challenges such as dementia.

Mirror is built to reassure both clinicians and patients. Audio recordings are used only for AI processing and are deleted immediately.

Patients are clearly informed that AI can make mistakes, are advised to follow their clinician's prescription instructions, and to double-check with a healthcare professional if they are unsure.

Ian Wharton, founder and chief executive at Aide Health, said: ‘We created Mirror for patients, not clinicians, because understanding and remembering clinical information is one of the most important and fixable issues in healthcare.'

Aide Health has received backing from the NIHR and Innovate UK.

Mirror can be downloaded here.