Consumer Health Apps& mHealth

Putting It All Together: Taking Nutrition To The Client

Using Mobile Apps

Nadine Fisher, MS RD LDDBC DPG WebinarJanuary 23, 2012

What is mHealth (Mobile Health)?

• mHealth (also written as m-health or mobile health) is a term used for the practice of medicine and public health, supported by mobile devices. The term is most commonly used in reference to using mobile communication devices, such as mobile phones and PDAs, for health services and information. (Wikipedia 2012)

mHealth Users

Fitness, Wellness or Healthcare App?

• Fitness Apps are for those who want to get in shape or who are training for an event (marathon)

• Wellness Apps are for those who want to live healthy lifestyles through diet and exercise

• Healthcare Apps are for professionals managing their work or for patients to deal with a specific health condition

Future of Consumer Health Apps & the Registered Dietitian

• Patient

• Providers

• Creative Cutting Edge Professionals

Future of Consumer Health Apps

• Growth prediction is EXPLOSION of consumer health apps (IOS) by July 2012 = 13,110

Types of Apps Downloaded?

Health Apps

• Diabetes

• Weight Loss

• Gluten Free

•The Surgeon General’s Healthy Apps challenge, announced during her Tuesday morning keynote at the

mHealth Summit, is designed to develop handy tools with tailored information that will encourage those “who may not be tech savvy and who

wouldn’t ordinarily want to get involved to become healthy and fit, and to make it easy and fun.”

Desirable App Characteristicsfor Managing Chronic Conditions

• Personalize, Track, Remind, Affirm

• Adhere to Evidence Based Practice (Connect to provider, EHR?)• Educational component that is updated?

• Engage & Incentivize Client

• Connected to DB (external live)

• Provide for Social Support

Health & Fitness App Life Cycle

Popular Health Apps

• Weight Loss• Lose it• http://www.loseit.com/

• Diabetes• **GluCoMo- addresses co-morbid client &

has back-end connectivityhttp://www.glucomo.com/

• Gluten Free• Eating Out Gluten Free• http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/eating-out-g-

free/id410718619?mt=8

Will They come?

• Three in five patients, regardless of age, said they’d be interested in using a wireless medical device to send information to their physician, and younger patients expressed interest in using their smartphones for that purpose.

mHealth App Advantages

• Helps Client Manage Health

• Care Coordination Opportunities

• Immediate Exchange of Accurate Objective Information from Client to Provider

• Earlier and More Accurate Diagnosis

• Remote Monitoring Opportunities

Current & Future Challenges

• FDA Approval

• Device versus App

• Cost of Device/App Development

• Client Compliance

Resources

1. http://www.imedicalapps.com/top-apps

2. http://www.eatright.org/appreviews/

3. http://www.happtique.com/

4. Pew Internet Data Smart Phone & App Use

5. Draft Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff- Mobile Medical Applications

6. http://www.mhimss.org/

7. App Connections for Health Professionals

8. Apple iTunes Health and Medical Apps Category

9. Massive Health – The Eatery

10. Preventice

11. WellDoc