An app a day keeps the doctor away

With doctors still relying heavily on the use of pagers and that electronic medical records having yet to universally replace paper records, medicine needs an infusion of innovative technology, at least according to two physicians who advocate the use of certain mobile phone apps to help make keeping track of a patient’s health a lot easier.

One potential source for innovation is the mobile health app, or mHealth, which combines medical technology with portable electronic devices, Drs. Seth Martin and Timothy Plante, both of the Johns Hopkins University Medical Center in Baltimore, wrote in an editorial for U.S. News & World Report.

The doctors said small teams of mHealth developers are poised to produce and release clever consumer apps. And, as most Americans now own smartphones, low-cost apps can garner millions in revenue should the product be a hit.

What’s more, several other health care professionals said there are several free apps that can help a patient manage everything from diet to their medication.

“There’s the iPhone application Epocrates, which allows the user to view continually updated clinical data,” said Dr. Carly Snyder, a New York City physician who specializes in comprehensive reproductive psychiatry and women’s mental health services.

“Once downloaded, the user can check for drug interaction, identify pills by physical characteristics and perform medical calculations such as BMI and GFR,” Snyder said.

Another free app is MedCalc, a medical calculator that gives the user access to an array of medical formulas and scores, Snyder said, adding that other features of the app include overlaid controls, support for US and IS units, bibliographic reference for formulas, and lists of recently used equations.

Among the more popular apps is Mango Health, which reminds patients when it’s time to take their medication. The app records each dose and alerts users to potentially dangerous interactions between medications and supplements or with food and drink.

Other features

Additionally, the app allows those who use it to compare their medication adherence to that of other Mango users. But, Jason Oberfest, the chief executive of the company that created the app, said it’s the game component that sets the app apart because it motivates individuals and keep users engaged with their personal health goals.

“You can earn points each day that you take your medications safely and on time,” Oberfest said in a Los Angeles Times article.

Users rack up points for following their doctor’s order and get rewarded with the chance to win gift cards from major brands such as Target, and options to make donations to leading charities.

Mango Health is monetizing the app by serving as a channel to get users into partners’ stores, ultimately connecting global brands with health-oriented consumers. The founders eventually want to partner with insurers, care providers and employers, Oberfest said.

Regan Austin, a spokesperson for the company that created the ModiFace app, said ModiFace has launched a new suite of skin-focused medical AR technologies accessible through its live IOS app.

“It’s developed with the input of a panel of doctors and features live, 3-D visualization aimed at helping people understand and evaluate their skin health which all can be done with a mobile camera and smartphone,” Austin said.

“With this technology, consumers don’t’ have to wait for their annual dermatologist appointment to learn more about their overall skin health, and they can instead monitor it on their own and come to their doctor with concerns about any trends they’ve seen,” Austin said.

Snyder, who treats clients from New York, the Poconos and other areas, said another free app that’s proven helpful is Cardio Calc, an application designed to help manage patients with cardiovascular disease or hyperlipidemia.

“The features of this application include Framingham and Reynolds Risk Scores to determine cardiovascular risk and use of the CHADS2 score to guide treatment in atrial fibrillation,” Snyder said.

Improving health

While noting that the fast pace of today’s world brings with it many distractions and less time to relax, healthline.com issued a list of the best apps that can help individuals tract and improve their health metrics.

Among the apps is the Sleep Talk Recorder for iPhone and Android users that allows a person to keep track of what they or someone else may say during the night. The app saves recordings and places them on a timeline for easy navigation and playback.

Also recommended by healthline.com is the iPhone and Android friendly, Amwell: Live Doctor Visit Now app which allows users to see a doctor via a video call at any time.

Users simply open the app, tap a few screens, pick a specialty or provider, and instead of waiting days or weeks, they immediately get a face-to-face consultation.

The iPhone also offers the app, Symple which is free — a SympleComplete app costs $3.99.

Symple allows users to tract up to 10 symptoms at once, take four photographs per day and record medications, exercise and other factors that influence how an individual feel.

Act responsibly

Users should always be cautious and act responsibly when choosing and downloading an app, health officials said.

“The HIPPA privacy laws that protect your health information in hospitals, doctors’ offices and pharmacies don’t apply to app developers,” said Plante, a general internal medicine fellow who notes his interest in mobile technology.

“Companies can do what they wish with the information you give them, including selling it to marketers,” he said.

A recent survey of Android diabetes apps found that only 19 percent of those apps had a privacy policy — of those with a private policy, only 22 percent had a policy that said users’ personal information would not be sold.

“If an app requires device permissions you don’t want to give, or asks you for information or collects data bout you that you don’t feel comfortable sharing, close it down and uninstall it,” Plante said.