Your health is a complicated puzzle best solved by professionals, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't use technology to make things more simple. Never has it been easier to track your health, monitor your fitness goals or research treatment options.
"It turns out that your interaction with your doctor has two parts. There's a technical component: Your doctor is gathering information about you to make a diagnoses and recommend a care plan. And then there's the emotional overlay," says Dr. Joe Kvedar, the founder and director of the Center for Connected Health, which focuses on providing healthcare outside of the traditional hospital or doctor's office setting.
"We're not taking your doctors visit away," Dr. Kvedar explains. "So much of what we do with patients is the algorithmic information; it's not that emotionally laden piece." Following up with a doctor about when to take a medication is a good example of something that can be done over email. Who wants to spend an afternoon in your physician's waiting room for that?
On the other hand, discussing test results for a life-changing disease is a conversation that relies on the emotional component of the doctor-patient relationship and should be done in person.
Connected Health also weighs in on medical apps. "The FDA is clearly getting more involved, and the regulatory agencies are trying to step up their game," says Dr. Kvedar. "But in the meantime there are 150,000 to 200,000 apps in the app store around health. And it's at the top of the hype cycle."
Apple has started to take some medical apps out of rotation, but there are still a lot out there. iMedicalApps, a doctor-run site that offers formal reviews of medical apps, is a good patient resource. Dr. Satish Misra, a co-founder, considers the usability of the app, as well as the testing process and any conflicts of interest.
He recommends talking with your doctor before downloading and using any new medical apps. Most importantly "Is whatever the app does grounded in actual fact?" He asks. You'd be surprised how often the answer is "no."
There Shouldn't Be an App for That
Here are five claims from apps that you should definitely take with a grain of salt:
1. Apps That Use Your Phone's Light
The light on your phone has no medical powers, so apps that claim to treat acne with the power of your iPhone's glow, for example, are a no-go.
2. Spot-Checkers
Apps that profess the ability to spot melanoma moles make Dr. Kvedar nervous. "The trained human eye is probably a better source for that," he said.
3. Cures From Sound
Unfortunately just as your phone's light provides no health powers, your phone's sounds won't cure headaches or other medical conditions, either.
4. Insulin Dose Calculators
Both Dr. Kvedar and Dr. Misra said diabetic smartphone users should be especially wary of apps that record their daily food intake and, in turn, calculate an appropriate insulin dose. Food intake is one factor, but "certainly not the only thing" to consider when calculating an insulin dose. When it comes to medication dosage, it's best to ask your doc.
5. Treatment Testers
Tracking a medical condition is one thing. Treatment is something else entirely. "Any app that claims to treat a disease of any kind should raise red flags upfront," said Dr. Misra.
The Dud List
The Center for Connected Health keeps a list of apps currently on the market that experts recommend avoiding due to false claims. Here are four:
Have you tried an unworthy medical app? Tell us about it in the comments below.
Image via iStockphoto, GeorgePeters
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