Mobile Solutions, From Start to Finish

A new infographic from Rock Health shows that the younger generations of Americans would prefer to skip the doctor’s office and take advantage of mHealth consultations. In fact, these consultations are so desirable, that 30% of Americans would surrender something important to them to make this happen. Would you skip the doctor’s office if you had the option? 

There are a lot of mHealth apps in the marketplace. With the mHealth setting up for a technological explosion, consumers will have more choices than ever to download. This leaves developers wondering what they can do to keep their apps from ending up in the digital landfill. 

To create a strong mHealth app, developers should look to solve these six factors:

Integration: If your app cannot be integrated into daily life, then chances are it will be deleted.  Apps must also be easy for physicians to use in their practice as well.

Interoperability: The app must be accessible on multiple devices and must have cloud connectivity for communication purposes. 

Intelligence: Many people are looking to these apps to provide medical accuracy to be valuable.

Socialization: mHealth apps are meant to help change behaviors. For this area, people are looking for a support network. By include socialization through via social networks, users have that support and will be more likely to use that app. 

Outcomes: Achieving this is as easy as enabling users to set goals and then providing them with the tools to log their progress. 

Engagement: Implementing effective forms of engagement is necessary. Gamification is currently one of the most popular forms of engagement. 

By adding value to your app, consumers are more likely to recommend your solution. 

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With the newest release of the American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology mobile app, the Committee Opinions component now contains the complete collection of more than 100 committee opinions in full-text, fully searchable format, for easy access at the point of care.

Version 1.2 of the ACOG mobile app is now available for download on the App Store and Google Play

Version 1.2 of the American Academy of Family Physicians mobile app recently launched and introduced a number of new features and additions. The improved content and functionality includes: 

• Access FP Essentials and FP Audio content from within the app 
• Annotate and save FP Essentials articles
• Find residencies, fellowships, and clerkships
• Immunization information at your fingertips 

Version 1.2 is now available for download on the App Store and Google Play. 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has provided further clarification on which smartphone apps it intends to regulate and which one it will not. The regulatory body will only focus on those that will convert a smartphone into a diagnostic tool.

“Today, mobile apps are fast becoming a staple of everyday life,” Dr. Jeffrey Shuren, director of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, said during a news conference and published by Health Day. “Although many mobile apps pertain to health, we are only continuing our oversight for a very small subset of those mobile apps.”

Overall, the FDA will be looking to apps that will read a patient’s heart rhythm, take blood pressure, or complete an ECG. The apps will be evaluated and must adhere to the same standards as other medical devices.  Over that last two years, the agency has cleared 40 mobile medical apps.  

Are you concerned the FDA isn’t regulating apps that track medications, health records or doctor correspondences? Share you views with us on Twitter: @FountainheadMob

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