Benefits of Mobile Health Apps
Mobile apps have provided consumers with new levels of control when it comes to interacting with a number of industries, from finance, to retail, to hospitality. This also extends to healthcare. The use of smartphones, mobile devices, and mobile apps for medical and healthcare purposes is a growing trend, which is also known by the term mHealth.
Use of mobile technology, health apps, and services by patients and providers alike is rapidly increasing. Here are a few examples of benefits that mobile health apps bring:
1. TRACKING PERSONAL HEALTH DATA ON SMARTPHONES AND HEALTH APPS
About 93 percent of doctors believe that mobile health apps can improve patient health.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has echoed that belief in a statement on its website, where it “encourages the development of mobile medical apps that improve healthcare and provide consumers and healthcare professionals with valuable health information. Mobile applications can help people manage their own health and wellness, promote healthy living, and gain access to useful information when and where they need it.”
And consumers seem to be seeking those apps with healthy living in mind. A New York University Lagone Medical Center survey found that of those who downloaded mobile health apps on a smartphone:
about 52 percent of users said they downloaded health apps to track physical activity;
47 percent wanted to
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track what they ate;
46 percent said they downloaded health apps to lose weight;
34 percent said they wanted to use health apps to learn exercises.
Those goals are reflected in the top mHealth and health app categories, which are weight loss, exercise and fitness, and women’s health. Health apps on smartphones, mobile devices, wearables, and fitness trackers have become an ideal way for people to benefit from mHealth by collecting personal health data that is easy to understand.
Included among the uses of mobile health apps:
Users may document important personal health information for themselves or their families, such as emergency contact info, allergies, medications, and more. This is also a great way for caregivers to stay organized, as 30 percent of mHealth users are caregivers.
One may keep track of his or her fitness routine and find new workout suggestions.
One may get an idea of his or her vitals, such as heart rate or sleep patterns, using a smartphone, smartwatch, or other mobile devices.
Certain health apps or mobile features allow users to easily get in touch with the help they need when in an emergency, such as apps that dial emergency contacts with only one tap.
Users may monitor what they eat and learn more about their diet with nutrition and diet apps, many of which can offer new healthy recipes.
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Mobile medical ID information.
Mobile fitness tracker.
Heart rate and vitals monitor.
Mobile emergency health communication.
Calorie counter and nutrition planner.
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Manage healthcare on mobile.
It makes it easy to connect with one’s doctor or insurance provider using mobile. He or she could even use a smartphone to schedule appointments in some cases.
Prescription medication reminder.
One may track the medications he’s supposed to take and set up reminder notifications to ensure he doesn’t miss his schedule.
2. CONNECTED CARE BETWEEN DOCTOR’S OFFICE VISITS
If a doctor isn’t currently using mobile to connect with patients, he probably will take advantage of mobile technology to better communicate with patients in the near future.
What is mHealth from the provider standpoint? Many physicians already use mobile technology for patient communication. Likewise, some healthcare organizations – and they’re many – already offer a mobile health app to patients, while others are developing a mobile health app for patients.
What is mHealth going to look like for the doctorpatient relationship? As the benefits of health apps become more widely known, healthcare providers will be embracing mobile communication even more to improve their relationship with their patients. That’s a bonus for patients who consistently cite their desire to have more options for modern communication with healthcare providers.
3. MOBILE HEALTHCARE MANAGEMENT FOR CAREGIVERS AND FAMILY
Many people now use smartphones and electronic communication as a way to go “paperless,” receiving bills, statements, and other important documents through apps or email.
What is mHealth going to bring in the future? One possibility is more ways to improve electronic health records (EHRs) and collect and mobilize health data on smartphones. The more consumers want them, the more mobile health apps will continue to be a top consideration for the healthcare industry.
Earlier this year, the FDA shared plans to research how to connect patient health data between multiple sources, including EHRs and health apps. And technology giants Apple, Amazon, Google, and Microsoft are all reported to be respectively looking into projects related to mobile access to patient health records.
But before Amazon’s 1492 (the rumored name for Amazon’s EHR project) comes to light, downloading other existing health apps can help users enjoy the benefits of mHealth with better access to and management of personal health records using smartphones or mobile devices.
One health app already available for download to help manage health records and care is CareSync. The app connects patients with chronic conditions to CareSync health assistants who are able to communicate each patient’s most updated health information with all their doctors and also create a personalized plan of care.
Considering that 56 percent of mHealth users have a chronic disease or condition, CareSync is able to serve a large portion of mobile health app users.