Why we should invest in digital health infrastructure
I just wrote a dismissive blog post about the British telehealth study, concluding that governments are better off investing in software infrastructure which enables developers to build mHealth and digital health applications. I didn't comment on the fact that telehealth can be an effective way to treat patients in remote locations, or simply remove the need for patients to physically travel to a doctor's office. Lots of time and gasoline can be saved by this simple fact. Of course, one doesn't need old telehealth units for this. A smartphone with a decent front facing camera and a wireless connection will suffice. With that said, let me elaborate more on why I believe medical apps are the future of medicine.
Can't stand in the way of progress
With the increasing number of health related apps and wearables, it is difficult to argue against the fact that consumers will use smartphone apps. A plethora of 7 minute workout apps are downloaded by users who wish to become more active, it is possible to measure heart rate and blood oxygen saturation simply by using a smartphone camera, it is possible to conduct a complete smartphone physical, and smartphone connected activity trackers are selling well. Apple, Google, and Samsung have already deployed health platforms and are partnering with health care facilities in order to expedite digital health through consumer devices. The writing is on the wall: Digital health through consumer devices is here to stay. Unfortunately, the entire field is a tangled mess, and it is difficult for consumers to assess whether an app can help them or potentially harm them.
Taking care of the grunt work
I'm not able to point to a singular study which shows that medical apps and wearables keep people healthy, so lets not use that as an argument for large scale adoption of medical apps. Instead, lets focus on better usability and user satisfaction. Smartphone apps are great for data gathering, and diabetes, blood pressure, or headache diary apps can easily replace the pen-and-paper diaries used today. Doctors can glance at a data chart on a smartphone to get a general idea of the patient's blood glucose fluctuations. This saves a lot of time for both patient and doctor. Time, which could be spent towards better treatment of the patient. I'm not arguing that everyone should use medical apps all the time—but imagine if a doctor could prescribe an app instead of medication. There wouldn't be any pharmacological side-effects, and the app data could help spark a conversation and understanding of the patients situation. The potential is huge.
I believe some doctors are opposed to medical apps out of a fear of becoming obsolete, or losing their medical footing. In reality, medical apps will never replace doctors. They are meant to alleviate some of the grunt work, and help doctors connect with patients on a higher level. We just need to be selective in which apps we promote.
