Succeeding in the mHealth App Creation Frenzy — Make It Simple and Valuable

Since we’re on the topic of making apps easier to use, I thought I’d comment on another article I read at Fierce Mobile Care.

Mobile health apps are being created left and right. Some are successful, others are not. The question many developers should be asking themselves is how to separate their app from one of the more than 10,000 medical and healthcare apps currently available? Show value and make it simple, according to this article.

The author of the article makes a good point:

The problem is that too many of the apps are duplicative. After all, how many BMI calculators does a person need? Far fewer are focused on managing chronic conditions, though apps to help manage diabetes tend to be among the most popular.

I imagine a BMI calculator is far more simple to make than an app that is designed to help treat chronic illnesses. But like this person said . . . how many BMI calculators do you actually need? To be honest, I don’t even need one — I have a browser that can give me that information just as quickly, plus it doesn’t take up room on my phone.

The article referenced another articles called “What’s the Matter With Mobile Health Apps Today?” There were a lot of interesting points made, and I think that this graph really displays her opinion well:

I download lots of mHealth apps to my phone, and to be honest, most of them end up getting deleted after I realize I never use them. Which is sad, I know, but life gets busy and I don’t find them absolutely essential to my life, and many of them are just time consuming to understand. Rhona Finkel, author of the article explains the phenomenon (and it makes me feel better to know that only 20 percent of users use an app again the day after it’s downloaded; 5 percent after a month, and almost 0 at 3 months):

Fundamentally, it seems, it’s a little like starting a new exercise program.  Everyone starts off enthusiastic, buys a new running outfit, fits themselves with a new pair of Nikes and sets off running every day. By week two it’s down to a light job twice a week. A month into it people are back in their sweats, sitting around the TV with a bowl of potato chips.

It’s like Rhona was watching my life.

But why is it that apps aren’t “sticking?” Are the only ones that really get used consistently ones that are “prescribed” to patients — and even then, those apps probably go largely unused. Here’s Rhona’s guess:

I’ll tell you what’s wrong in a nutshell. It’s boring and time-consuming to enter the data required by so many apps to get the most bang for your buck. I mean to enter my calories consumed, my medicines taken, my notes in my gratitude journal. But in the end I’m really more of a potato-chip-on-the-couch type of app consumer than one enthusiastically willing to exercise my fingers and thumbs.

The bottom line is, an app needs to be interesting. Interesting enough that person is excited to open it, rather than dread it. We live in a world where people get bored easily. Should apps incorporate games, music, and lots of flashy things? I don’t think so. That’s not what health is all about. H&HN Daily’s writer Ian Morrison suggests “that complexity and confusion are also a major part of consumer engagement issues . . . [and] advises that hospitals keep it simple with their products and services because patients are reluctant to engage in their health with confusing option.”

mHealth apps are supposed to make our lives easier, and really, I think they would if we spent as much time using them as we do playing Angry Birds. Have any of you found apps that meet the goals of showing value and being simple?

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September 19, 2012 I Written By

Katie Clark is originally from Colorado and currently lives in Utah with her husband and son. She writes primarily for Smart Phone Health Care, but contributes to several Health Care Scene blogs, including EMR Thoughts, EMR and EHR, and EMR and HIPAA. She enjoys learning about Health IT and mHealth, and finding ways to improve her own health along the way.

Filed Under: Android  Apple  Blackberry  Gadgets  Health Care  Healthcare IT  Healthcare Social Media  Medical Devices  mHealth  Mobile Health Care  Patient Home Monitoring  Smart Phones  Social Networking Health
Tags:  Mobile Health  

Is mHealth Poised to Explode? Infograph Showing Growth of mHealth

The more that I discover, the more I love infographics. There’s just something about them that draws me in. I mean, some of the information listed on different infographics would probably be less-than-interesting presented by itself, or jumbled together with a bunch of other textual facts. However, adding some pictures and some colorful text makes it so much easier to read.

I found this as I was perusing Pinterest (it’s not just for finding meals, or sewing projects. A post on mHealth in Pinterest coming soon.) As you can see, this infographic poses the questions “Is mHealth poised to explode?”

These stats are crazy. There are more than 10,000 health apps in the iTunes App store? Sure, some of those are useless, but even after weeding those out, there’s so many. I think mHealth has a huge potential to change the way we view and access health care. The possibilities are endless! It was interesting, however, that 88 percent of doctor’s want their patients to monitor vital stats at home. How accurate could this be? This raises the question, will people actually do that? People don’t always do what their doctor’s advise, either because they don’t feel like it, or they forget. So what makes doctor’s think patients will actually track their vital stats? Maybe if they are using a mobile app, it will be easier, especially if there are reminders embedded into the app.

I’m interesting in finding out more about the apps listed at the end of this. They all seem pretty cool, and show just how innovative mHealth is becoming. Look for some posts on those in the future.

I definitely agree with the 40 percent of doctors that believe mobile technology will reduce the number of visits to the doctor. I’ve seen this to be true in my own life, as I’ve been able to find answers to some of my questions without having to call and bother my doctor in the middle of the night, or going to the doctor unnecessarily. If mHealth can safely reduce the number of visits to the doctor’s office, I feel like everyone would benefit: Less people would be paying unnecessary co-pays, doctor’s offices would be less crowded, resulting in less waiting time for patient’s that actually need to be there.

I love this time that we live in there. There are so many opportunities available, and ways to better how we live. To answer the questions asked by this infograph, we are just at the beginning of the mHealth explosion. It will be exciting to see what will come about in the near future.

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July 31, 2012 I Written By

Katie Clark is originally from Colorado and currently lives in Utah with her husband and son. She writes primarily for Smart Phone Health Care, but contributes to several Health Care Scene blogs, including EMR Thoughts, EMR and EHR, and EMR and HIPAA. She enjoys learning about Health IT and mHealth, and finding ways to improve her own health along the way.

Filed Under: Gadgets  Health Care  Healthcare IT  Healthcare Social Media  Medical Devices  mHealth  Mobile Health Care  Patient Home Monitoring  Smart Phones  Social Networking Health
Tags:Medical Infograph      Smart Phone  

Connecting With Other Doctors Now Easier Than Ever, Thanks to docBeat Physician Network

A few months ago, an app was released to help better connect physicians with one another. docBeat, created by Sunny Tara and Dr. Dhiraj Narula, is free and available for the iPhone. The app is secure and can only be accessed by licensed physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. However, docBeat is currently working on an app and web version that will allow clinical staff to have secure text messaging with doctors, nurse practitioners and PA’s as well.

Medical professionals who use this app are given a second, private number that is shown to other doctors but is connected to the smart phone they are using. This allows a doctor to maintain privacy of their personal line. One of the cool things about this app is that the user will be able to tell immediately whether the doctor  (or nurse) they are contacting is available, and, if not, a number to reach them is made available. The app has a directory with information about every single physician and hospital in the United States.

With so many doctors turning to social media and smart phones, it only makes sense for doctors to use this tools to communicate with one another. However, Sunny Tara said this isn’t necessarily the case, and a lot of time is wasted trying to get in contact with one another.

There is a big gap in the tools doctors use to communicate. If you look at what they use, it’s still 1950s switchboard technology. Even though 90 percent of doctors have smart phones, they will use switchboards and pagers.

Tara believes that this app will improve efficiency in clinics and hospitals, which will in turn improve care:

If you make doctor’s more efficient, it will improve patient care. In the end we will all be winners.

Just to get a better feel for what a user of this app will see, here are a few screen shots provided by Apple:

This is the basic directory for the app. It looks easy to navigate. Notifications show up whenever a text or call from another doctor or nurse is sent.

This actually shows what a contact card  looks like. As you can see, “Lisa Smith” is busy and has another doctor on-call for her. It’s nice because users are able to add personal messages, describing why they are busy and when they will be back.

I definitely agree with Tara; the way those in the medical field communicate could be improved. Not only would this decrease the amount of time waiting to see if someone is busy (because, even when  a doctor isn’t busy, it seems like they are sometimes impossible to get a hold of), but other details, such as the on-call doctor, is readily available. What might have taken a significant amount of time in the past can be done in only a matter of a few minutes. I’d love to see more doctors grasping this idea. It does seem like it would increase efficiency and making certain processes go more smoothly in the office.

The app is free for certified medical professionals, however, the company is planning on releasing a more “premium app” in July that does have a fee. docBeat was created to be HIPAA compliant and to avoid potential liability issues. The app can be downloaded here for the iPhone.

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June 18, 2012 I Written By

Katie Clark is originally from Colorado and currently lives in Utah with her husband and son. She writes primarily for Smart Phone Health Care, but contributes to several Health Care Scene blogs, including EMR Thoughts, EMR and EHR, and EMR and HIPAA. She enjoys learning about Health IT and mHealth, and finding ways to improve her own health along the way.

Filed Under: Apple  Health Care  Healthcare IT  iPad  iPhone  Mobile Health Care  Smart Phones  Social Networking Health
Tags:  docBeat app  Dr. Dhiraj Narula  HIPAA Secure Text    Secure SMS Message  Secure Text Message    Sunny Tara

Tips For Doctors Entering the Social Media World

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about physicians and social media. Since then, I read another article about why physician’s should get involved. Mike Sevilla, M.D., a family physicians and blogger, listed six reasons and told his journey with social media over the years at the Connecting Healthcare + Social Media Conference a few weeks ago. The reasons he gave were:

1. To tell your story

2. To find a community

3. To express opinions and commentary

4. To discover what you are passionate about

5. To conduct social media marketing

6. To manage your online reputation and streamline your practice

The article I linked to goes into more details, but as I thought about it, these seemed like some very helpful tips. Let me talk about number six for awhile. When I was searching for a OB/GYN, and later, a pediatrician, I read pages and pages of reviews for doctors. It amazed me how many negative reviews were on there. I mean, some of they could have been justified, sure, but I felt bad for some of the doctors that might not have even known those reviews were out there and had no way to defend themselves. My doctor was incredible, but a few disgruntled patients wrote terrible reviews online about him, which probably pushed people away from going to him. If a doctor is involved with social media, whether it be Facebook, Twitter, or even just reading comment boards, he or she may be able to defend their reputation, and then create a better image with their patients. I’ve found that when I’ve become friends with past teachers, employers, or co-workers, my opinion of them almost always changed. I saw that they were human — they had friends, family, likes, dislikes…everything.

I think a lot of these tips point to one thing — bettering your image and becoming involved. I think that’s great. There is definitely an art to social media, and not every doctor is going to be great at it. However, over at mHIMSS.com, web content producer for Healthcare IT News Michelle McNickle of 10 physicians to follow on Twitter. You can find more out about each of the site I just linked to, but for conveniences sake, here is the list:

1. Kevin Pho, MD —

2. Mike Sevilla, MD —

3. Val Jones, MD —

4. Tim Sturgill, MD —

5. Bertalan Meskó, MD —

6. Shelley Binkley, MD —

7. Mark Browne, MD —

8. Joseph Kim, MD —

9. Jay Parkinson, MD —

10. Mehmet Oz, MD —

So, if you are a doctor, follow the above tips to start your journey into the social media world. And for anyone who wants to have daily tips, ideas, or thoughts from doctors, you might start by taking a look at the 10 doctors mentioned above.

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June 13, 2012 I Written By

Katie Clark is originally from Colorado and currently lives in Utah with her husband and son. She writes primarily for Smart Phone Health Care, but contributes to several Health Care Scene blogs, including EMR Thoughts, EMR and EHR, and EMR and HIPAA. She enjoys learning about Health IT and mHealth, and finding ways to improve her own health along the way.

Filed Under: Healthcare IT  Healthcare Social Media  Social Networking Health
Tags:Bertalan Mesko  Doctors and Social Media  Jay Parkinson  Joseph Kim  Kevin Pho  Mark Browne  Mehmet Oz    mHIMSS  Michelle McNickle  Mike Sevilla  Physician Social Media  Shelley Binkley  Social Media Conference    Tim Sturgill  Val Jones

Sickweather Uses Social Networking to “Forecast” Sickness

One of the most amazing things about social networking is the sheer amount of information that is out there.  People comment about where they are, what they are eating, where they are shopping, and what they are watching.  Companies have been using this media to better target their audience, as well as getting feedback on their products and services.  Now we may be able to use this mass of information to help avoid getting sick.

Sickweather uses social media to track keywords like bronchitis or stomach flu in association with location tags to generate a sort of weather map of sickness in your area.  The obvious direct impact is that you can better see when sickness is infiltrating your circle of friends so that you can avoid them until the sickness passes.  That means you may skip out on a BBQ and thus stay healthy.  By stopping the spread of illness in small circles we prevent the spread of disease in large groups as well.

While they don’t appear to be targeting larger organizations like the CDC to help combat disease, they would be crazy to not use this information on a bigger scale.  That may very well be in the long term plans at Sickweather once they have proof of concept, as they are still only in beta testing at this point.

For more information, and to sign up to be a beta tester you can visit their website at www.sickweather.com.

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June 16, 2011 I Written By

Filed Under: mHealth  Mobile Health Care  Social Networking Health
Tags:  Forecasting Sickness  mHealth in Social Networking    Sickweather