It’s no secret that the U.S. healthcare system is in the process of changing. As the various components of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) go into effect, U.S. states are busy trying to get their healthcare exchanges – mandated by the legislation – up and running in time for next year. Another important element of the Affordable Care Act is using better management in the form of business processes and technologies to improve the quality of healthcare, while bringing down costs at the same time.
Part of these technology changes include electronic health records – a way to ensure that patients have one single set of records available to anyone who treats that person, which cuts down on errors and administration costs.
Another way is through the use of mobile apps for health maintenance. According to a recent article in Computerworld, the average doctor’s visit is only seven minutes long, which means patients need to take care of themselves the other 23 hours and 53 minutes each day.
Healthcare apps can come in many forms. They can be under the direct supervision of a doctor – an app that reminds patients to test their blood sugar and report the results, for example, or one that allows patients to photograph a rash or cut and send it someone qualified to dispense a preliminary diagnosis and treatment – or more general, social and lifestyle related.
These may include apps to encourage exercising, counting calories, keeping track of daily activities or strength training of an injured limb.
The medical apps market is becoming saturated, but this doesn’t necessarily mean all bases are covered. Many so-called health apps are frivolous, based on pseudo-science, too broad or so poorly designed that users give up on them. Experts suggest that app creators need to spend more time with the types of patients they intend to service to ensure that interfaces work well and are even fun to use, and the apps themselves yield actual benefits.
This involves realizing that not all patients are created equal. While younger healthcare patients are generally savvy about mobile technologies and social media, older patients may not be. In truth, a one-size fits all approach will never work. (And type font size definitely counts!)
It’s also important to keep patients engaged. In truth, there are some patients who will never respond to healthcare apps – they’ll either refuse to use them or stop using them after a few days. But those who are willing need to be kept engaged. Using “gamification” concepts, or ideas borrowed from video games, medical apps developers can keep the app fun and even help the patient earn “rewards” for sticking with positive behavior.
While no one is suggesting that mobile healthcare apps will ever replace the services of a professional, they can go a long way toward changing behavior as a way to stay healthier. With some 80 percent of healthcare expenditures used on life-style related diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, lung cancer or alcohol-related problems, solutions that can help change behavior can go a long way toward solving the nation’s healthcare ills.
Edited by
Braden Becker
