Mobile health apps are helping us live healthier lives, monitor chronic diseases and keep the elderly safe at home.
But what apps would we like to see in the future? Johns Hopkins University hopes it has the answer. Faculty, staff and students are now assessing the effectiveness of various mobile health applications “as part of the institution's Global mHealth Initiative,” to evaluate mobile health strategies and see what new applications are possible, according to the Baltimore Sun.
The market is certainly there, as smartphone apps for mobile healthcare reached $718 million in 2011 and still growing.
Ihealthbeat.org reports that according to Research2Guidance, an international market research company, there are more than 40,000 health apps for mobile devices such as iPhones, Androids and tablets. Johns Hopkins is now undertaking 49 official studies on mHealth apps underway around the world, according to the Baltimore Sun story.
Even though mobile health is not quite out of its infancy, Alain Labrique – director of the initiative and an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins – said the studies have already found value in mobile health apps that “help patients adhere to medication regimens through regular reminders, help patients change harmful habits and help with weight loss through texts about specific behaviors and goals.”
"What they all have in common is they increase how often individuals think about their health,” he told the Baltimore Sun. "Instead of the occasional interaction with a health provider or system, these apps can serve as a 'guardian angel' in your pocket, reminding you often about your goals and ways to reach them.”
Edited by
Braden Becker
