FDA approved mobile health apps
As the mobile health industrycontinuestoflourishwith no sign of slowing down, FDA concerns about health apps have intensified as well.
Today, there are more than 40,000 health andwellnessapps on the market with mobile health revenuesprojectedtoclimbinto the billionsby 2016.
FDA apprehensions stem from the criticaldistinctionbetween health appsandwellnessapps. Whilewellnessappsenhance or track the overall health of the user, health apps are categorized as mobile software that diagnose, track or treatdisease.
Health appscan monitor patientsoutside of the hospital, track vitals or even analyzemedical images forphysicians.
Becausemany of these appscan have seriousconsequences on patient health, the FDA has decidedto step in andmandatecertification. Eventually, the FDA hopesto monitor andregulateall health apps.
According to a recent FDA testimonybefore the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on OversightandInvestigations, anyappsusedfordiagnosingcriticalconditions, regulating drug delivery or monitoring critical care factors likebloodoxygen levels are subject to FDA scrutiny.
“FDA believesit is important toadopt a balanced, approach to mobile medicalappsthat supports continuedinnovation, assuringappropriatepatientprotections,” saidChristy Foreman, FDA’s Director of the Office of Device Evaluation, in her the statement.
The agency does notintendtoregulateappsthat track a person’sdaily steps, enablepatientstorefillprescriptions, search medicalreferences, provideelectronic health record services or offer similar services.
Nor willtheyoversee mobile devices, such as iPhonesandtablets, whichmight run medicalapps.
“We believethatfocusing FDA oversight on a narrowsubset of mobile appswillencourage the development of new productswhileprovidingappropriatepatientprotections,” Foreman added.
As of now, FDA is onlyreviewing 20 apps a yearusing a similar approach tohowitanalyzes non-medicalsubstanceslike food additivesandherbal remedies.
Because the number of appsreviewedwillnotincreaseanytimesoon, it’s important toknowwhichapps are worthyourprecious time and money. Therefore, PYP has compiled a list of the best FDA approved health appsanddevicesjustforyou.
Mobile MIM
The first medicalapp ever tobeincluded in iTunes stores, Mobile MIM is designedto share images fromradiationoncology, radiology, nuclearmedicine, neuroimagingandcardiac imaging. The health app is intendedtoenhancephysician access to image scans to help them consult withpeers on challenging cases, reduce image distributiondelays, and share images withreferringphysicians, partner institutions, andpatients.
AliveCor
AliveCorturnsyoursmartphoneintoanelectrocardiogrambysnappingonto the back of anyiPhone. To take cardiacmeasurements, the user presses the device against the skin found near the heart. The device has receivedmuchrecognitionforitsmobilityand the anticipation of itscapabilityto catch irregularheartrhythmsearlier.
Diabetes Manager byWellDoc
This device worksbycapturingblood-glucose information andtransmittingit in real-time. WellDoc’s system analyzes the data and offers a personalized coach to help patients manage theirmedicationand treatment. It alsopromotesinteractionbetweenhealthcare professionals andpatientsbyassessingwhere users need help most.
WelchAllyniExaminer Adapter andOphthalmoscope
WelchAllyn’siExaminerappandophthalmoscope is designedto make iteasiertodetectconditionslikeretinaldetachment or glaucoma. The ophthalmoscope device plugsinto most smartphones. The accompanyingexaminerappallows providers to store the pictures to a patient file or email and print them.
Gauss Pixel App
Thisappaimstoprovide doctors and nurses with a way toaccuratelymeasure the amount of bloodloss in surgical procedures. Aftertaking a picture of surgicalspongesusedduring a procedure witheitheraniPad or iPhone, the appcomputes the amount of bloodloss in real-time.
As it stands today, retrievingsurgicalspongesandassessing the bloodloss in patients is somethingthat is estimatedtypicallyby nurses, with no accurate way toretrieve the sort of information the Gauss Surgicalappwouldprovide.
AirStrip ONE
AirStrip ONE is a diagnosticaidthatdeliverspatient data frommedicaldevices, electronicmedical records andpatient monitors toclinicians – in a single view on theirsmartphone or iPad. Clinical data includesvitalsigns, allergies, medications, medical images and lab resultswith information generatedfrommedicaldevices.
ResolutionMD
Thismedicalviewing product provides instant access toradiologydiagnostic images andreportsfrom mobile devices. The appstreams data from a variety of imaging modalities, with off-site servers preparingitforrapidvisualization on a smartphone or tablet. Since most processing is doneoutside the mobile device, no sensitivepatient information seemstobetransmitted, making it a fundamentally secure process.
Sothereyou have ourrecommendationsfor the most useful, nottomentioncoolest, FDA approved health apps on the market forphysicians.
8 Smartphone AppsEvery Doctor NeedsFebruary11
Last month, we took a look at health andwellnessapps doctors shouldprescribetotheirpatients. But, by the end of the article, youwereprobably thinking, “Well, whataboutmy fancy-pancysmartphone?”
Ok, maybenot the fancy-pancy part, but PYP hearsyouloudandclear. In this follow-up piece, we examine the best medicalappsfor doctors andmedstudents.
Medscape
One of the Apple Store’s most downloadedmedicalapps, Medscapecanretrievenewsarticlesfrom 34 different health fields. It alsoincludes a veryusefulclinicalreferencesectionthatcontainssafetyguidelines on drugs, videostutorials on various procedures andeducationactivitiesforstudents.
Price: Free
Compatibility: Android, iPhone
MedpageToday
ConsideredMedscape’s top competitor, MedPage is an online medicalnews service forphysiciansandhealthcare professionals. Recently, Medpage’sdeveloperspartneredwith Thomas-Reuters Healthcare toprovideprescription drug monographsanddiseasepathology information totheir users. Alsodelivers free CME/CE credits at yourfingertips.
Price: Free
Compatibility: iPhone
3D4Medical
3D4Medical appsuseinnovative 3D technologytonavigatethrough the body effortlessly. Users canrotate, cut, zoom andacquire superior/inferiorperspectives in waysthat traditional media couldnot. 3D4Medical also offers anatomicanimations, whichprovide excellent resources forpatienteducation.
Price: Apps range from Free to $19.99
Compatibility: iPhone
Muscle Trigger Point
Muscle Trigger Point is a usefulappforresearchingmuscle trigger points andtightplaces in the body thatcausepain.
The appincludes more than 100 trigger points for over 70 muscles. Onceyouidentify a trigger point through a specificmuscle or zone search, the apprecommends the best course of action to take.
Price: $2.00
Compatibility: Android, iPhone
Visual DX
LogicalImages’s Visual DX has developed the most comprehensive digital medical image library of more than 90,000 peer-reviewed images. Allages, skin types anddiseasevariations, based on severityand stage, are represented. Thisextensivecollection, whichcontinuestogrow, is the foundation for Visual DX.
Price: Free with Visual DX subscription
Compatibility: Android, iPhone
AHRQ ePSS
Designedanddevelopedby the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), ePSS assists primary care clinicians in identifying the screening, counseling andpreventivemedication services that are appropriatefortheirpatients.
ePSS information is based on the currentrecommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), andcanbesearchedbyspecificpatientcharacteristics, such as age, sexandselectedbehavioral risk factors.
Price: Free
Compatibility: Android, Blackberry, iPhone, Windows
AirstripCardiology
Bycombiningwireless mobile transmission of ECGswith digital visualenhancementandtouch screen capabilities as well as automatic access tohistorical data, AirStripCardiologyenables more informedandtimelydecisionsbycardiologists.
Cardiacwaveform data canbeviewedandanalyzed — leadingto a quicker diagnosis and treatment of cardiacpatients.
Price: Free withAirstrip software download
Compatibility: iPhone
SkyscapeMedical Resources
Thisappincludes drug information, medicalsearches, medical calculators and data for more than 800 separate topics.
Free resources includedwith the app are Outlines in ClinicalMedicine®, Archimedes™ – Medical Calculator, RxDrugs™: Drug Dosing Tool andMedAlert™.
Price: Free
Compatibility: Android, iPhone
Sothat’s it. There are the best medicalappsforphysicians. No smartphonehugginghipstercan pull the hood over youreyes. We dub youan official doctor of the new millennium.