Mobile medical and health apps: state of the art, concerns, regulation

This report delves into the realm of mobile medical and health applications, examining their current state of development, potential concerns, and the regulatory frameworks governing their use. It begins with an introduction to the increasing role of Android applications in healthcare, particularly in supporting patients with chronic conditions like asthma. The report then explores various types of mobile health applications, including those designed for medical providers, disease-specific apps, and those utilizing text messaging for communication. It also discusses the role of mobile technology in medical education, telemedicine, and telehealth. Furthermore, the report addresses the regulatory control and certification processes for medical and health apps, including the roles of the FDA, NHS, and Happtique, and the legal considerations around apps as medical devices. The conclusion emphasizes the significant impact of Android applications in the healthcare sector by assisting individuals in managing their health issues, providing information about viral infections, and supporting patients with conditions like asthma.

Mobile medical and health apps: state
of the art, concerns, regulatory control
and certification

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK...............................................................................................................................................1
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
The android applications are very useful or people in present trend of digitalisation and
they are prefer in health care sector also in order to help citizens. It include different types of
software or application which provide support to patient in order to manage their health problems
on regular basis as well as prevent complications of the same (Househ and et. al., 2017). The
present report is based on several effective as well as efficient application which helps to manage
problem of asthma in individuals regulation and controlling their medical situation in proper
manner. It also involve description about benefits of these applications which facilitate patient to
self manage their health problem by educating them for the relevant issue.
TASK
Asthma refers to the inflammatory disease in which airways to lungs becomes thin and
produces extra mucus. In simple terms it initiates breathing problem to individual. Symptoms of
asthma can be seen during coughing, loud laughing, exercising etc. It shortens the breath,
tightens chest and produces whistle sound while breathing. Asthma is non recoverable disease as
it can be only the procured by the using some precaution. This disease is enhancing very rapidly
among all generation whether they are children, youngsters or aged people (Singh, Wilkinson
and Braganza, 2014). Asthma is not creating difficulty in the living pattern of patient but it also
stops in performing many daily routine task. There are many causes through which asthma can
be caused are described as below:
Genetic: This disease can be occur from the parents. It can be said that if parent is
suffering from Asthma then there are more possible chances that children may also have it. There
are several disease which get transferred through genes from one generation to the next.
History of viral infections: In this cause, individual who have suffered from any viral
infections at childhood can be infected from this disease (Underwood, Birdsall and Kay, 2015).
Hygiene hypothesis: It states the condition at the early childhood age of babies. In this,
doctor usually guides mother as well as families to cover the baby properly and maintain hygiene
level around them in order to strengthen their immune system. If it is not done properly then this
may become reason of Asthma in future.
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Early allergen exposure: This specifies that individuals who gets affected with allergies
owns more chances of risk for initiating asthma. This affected mostly those person whose
immunity system is very low and easily allergised with unfamiliar contaminant soon.
It is important for citizen of Australia to remove the impact of Asthma from the patients
as well as their families. For this, medical science has developed themselves in order to adapt
technology (Wu and Hommel, 2014). It can be said that by technology can not minimise the
affect of Asthma but it can aware people about it. Now, technology has developed in an effective
way which has successfully established themselves in good causes. Mobile health technology
can be considered as the effective tool that support patient as well as families so that they can
deal with it. These applications briefly describes about symptoms, precaution, medical treatment,
causes of Asthma. It also guides family members the way through which they can take care
infected person.
Smartphones has transformed communication sector as it provides information on
demand, deliver data with increased speed. It has made communication custom made for users
and helps them in transfer big amount of data as per their personal needs. It stores information
according to need and status of users. it provides social support to users with help of
communication devices and social networks (Zhang and Silverberg, 2015). Users use different
mobile communication sources like text messages, location sensors, wireless services,
photography, applications like e-mail, video player, contacts etc. and personalised software for
specific purpose which users can use in their phones. Many users use smartphones for getting
information related to health. Mobile transformation provides opportunities in providing health
support as per need of user. Many apps related to medical and health are available in market.
These applications provide advices on medical issues but these apps have some problems related
to this.
Range of mobile applications
Apps for medical providers
Many apps are introducing in market for target users like physicians and medical
assistants (Pooyanmehr and et. al., 2018). They help in understanding terminology related to
medical and apps are used by health professionals. There are some categories of apps which are
popular like material related to medical education, drug referencing tools, electronic system for
health record etc.
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Speciality or disease- specific apps
Some medical applications are made for specific disease. This kind of apps gives relevant
information and current news related to the disease. There are some apps in market which helps
asthma patient like Asthma buddy, AsthmaMD, Asthma Track, assist me with inhalers,
AsthmaCheck, etc. Asthma buddy reminds patients to take medicines and doctor appointment,
track changes in symptoms, gives first-aid for emergency. It also provides educational assistance
to patient like videos on using an inhaler (Vigo and et. al., 2017).
Text messaging
In early 2000 the mobile phone uses the text messaging to communicate and in the era of
smartphones uses different applications to communicate but in today's time also SMS (Short
message service) plays vital role as the details regarding all the alerts like health alerts, bank
account details alerts, location alerts, information regarding the heart rate, blood pressure can be
achieved through the single SMS. It is easy to spread these messages through a single click on
the phone so there are several and unique opportunities associated through SMS and it gives
promising results while monitoring and making appointment with the doctors. From SMS the
daily reminder regarding the different field of services according to the interest of the individual
can be obtained (Hu and et. al., 2017). It is cost effective easy to use and can be customized
accordingly with only one limitation that the interaction is limited and it could not overcome the
use of smartphone as through latest phone interaction could be done in many ways.
Medical education and teaching
In this modern era the younger people are capable of doing training in different medical
profession. The smartphone can be carried every where we want so the one feel convenient to
handle all the process in the smartphone. The overall flexibility of the smartphone is helpful in
providing the interactive teaching to the students. A survey which was conducted in 2012 of
ACGME (US Accreditation council for graduate medical education) shows that there are about
85% of people who uses smartphone and there application on the daily basis. For a doctor who is
new trainee doctor the application in the mobile itself work as a library for him and for him only
it would be the source of information because the senior and physician could not become
available for all the time (Mathur and Mathur, 2015). So providing access of the smartphone to
the trainee helps a lot in absence of the senior authority.
Telemedicine and telehealth care
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Introduction of telemedicine and telehealth care with use of mobile devices is very cost
effective for healthcare delivery. The monitoring of the medicinal and health related data through
the networking devices like personal computer, smartphones, tablet,pager etc. Many apps are
effective and easily access for care in situation of emergency. In case of critical care these apps
increase their speed for providing services (Herman, 2017). These apps are beneficial in rural
areas where internet connectivity is poor, by providing health care solutions through mobiles to
their users. It helps in eliminating time of visiting offices of health care providers.
Apps for patients and the general public
There are different types of applications which are prepared for patients as well as
general public to provide normal guidelines for spending regular life. It include various kinds of
guidelines which provide support to them in order take several precautions for remaining healthy
and fit. Additionally, it involves information about emerging health problem on which specialists
will update certain effective instructions which get by people and take desired steps to avoid
severe health issues properly. In case of Asthmatic patients, their preferred doctors ca provide
regular guidelines to them so that they can conduct self management of their medical problems.
Electronic health records
There are certain applications are developed by specialists so that people can maintain
their previous or present records of health on them. It include to get more effective precautions
regarding specific disease to avoid relevant complexities of the same. Additionally, a person
having number of health problems face difficulties to take medicines at correct time because it
may create confusion between medicines as common people do not have much knowledge about
disease or medications (Tang And et. al., 2018). In context of asthma, if an individuals have
released complication then they can maintain their health record on an appropriate applications
along with managing the same by their own in proper way.
Regulatory control and certification of medical and health apps
There are different types of rules and regulations which are made by government
authorities that are required to be followed by developer while making these applications.
Meanwhile, several laws should be followed by care providers as well as patients at time of
utilising such facilities. It is necessary for legal authorities to implement more effective and
efficient regulations to control abuse or misuse of such facilities along with securing personal
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information of people. Additionally, certain factors are responsible for implementation of such
rules of regulatory control and certification of overall medical & health applications.
Apps as a ‘medical device’: regulation in USA and Europe – This is kind of guidance
for set of applications which provide support to boost up effectiveness of care facilities and
regulate efficiency of medical devices (Dunton and et. al., 2016). Furthermore, FDA approves
certain apps including “Mobile MIM” for iPhone and iPad, a diagnostic radiology app which are
helpful for patient to manage their health issues like asthma.
NHS (England) online Health Apps Library – This can be described as full fledged “
vetted app store” which is still fare away. It include several selected applications and construct a
library of online apps by NHS England for providing health care services yo people for their well
being. Moreover, they considers ‘iBreastCheck’ (Breakthrough Breast Cancer) and ‘Health
Choices’ app which provide support to citizens for carrying out self management of their
problems like asthma to remain fit as well as avoid related complications properly.
Beyond ‘apps as a medical device’ - This include various applications for managing
health problems which are developed by FDA and MHRA to provide such software as medical
device. However, these are equally important in terms of health-related and medical apps that are
excluded from conventional software as medical device regulations. It involve basic purpose,
effectiveness and value of money in order to render better medical services to make people
healthy and disease free.
Happtique Health App Certification – This can be consider as mobile health solutions of
United States named as “Happitique” having goals to provide facilities for patient care and daily
life. They provide an effective guidelines to suffered individual to make them fit by solving
desired health problem along with rendering better instructions for making people aware about
required precautions (Househ, 2016). At the other hand, they provide certifications in legal
manner to several applications in order to make citizens get informed about appropriate steps for
remaining fit through avoiding diseases and spend life comfortably.
CONCLUSION
The above report had conclude that android applications plays an important role in health
care sector as they helps to people for managing their problem and facilitate to make them aware
about viral infections. It involves several types of medical apps which are supportive to manage
asthmatic situation of patient by their own. Moreover, different applications involve Apps for
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medical providers, Speciality or disease- specific apps, Text messaging, Medical education &
teaching, Telemedicine and tele health care, Apps for patients and the general public, Electronic
health records etc. At last certain regulations and control of such software include several
authorities of certifications such as NHS (England) online Health Apps Library, Beyond ‘apps as
a medical device’ and the Happtique Health App Certification.
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REFERENCES
Books and journal
Househ, M. and et. al., 2017. A cross-sectional content analysis of Android applications for
asthma.Health informatics journal. 23(2). pp.83-95.
Singh, A., Wilkinson, S. and Braganza, S., 2014. Smartphones and pediatric apps to mobilize the
medical home.The Journal of pediatrics. 165(3). pp.606-610.
Underwood, B., Birdsall, J. and Kay, E., 2015. The use of a mobile app to motivate evidence-
based oral hygiene behaviour.British dental journal. 219(4). p.E2.
Wu, Y. P. and Hommel, K. A., 2014. Using technology to assess and promote adherence to
medical regimens in pediatric chronic illness.The Journal of pediatrics. 164(4). pp.922-
927.
Zhang, A. and Silverberg, J. I., 2015. Association of atopic dermatitis with being overweight and
obese: a systematic review and metaanalysis.Journal of the American Academy of
Dermatology. 72(4). pp.606-616.
Pooyanmehr, M. and et. al., 2018. Evaluation Information Sources of Students Non-medical
Universities in Kermanshah Province, Iran about Asthma.Iranian Journal of Allergy,
Asthma & Immunology,17.
Vigo, M . and et. al., 2017. Britain Breathing: using the experience sampling method to collect
the seasonal allergy symptoms of a country.Journal of the American Medical
Informatics Association. 25(1). pp.88-92.
Hu, L. and et. al., 2017. Relationship Between Air Quality and Outdoor Exercise Behavior in
China: a Novel Mobile-Based Study.International journal of behavioral medicine.
24(4). pp.520-527.
Mathur, S. and Mathur, N., 2015. Health Status of Elderly in India-The Path Ahead.Indian
Journal of Community Health.27(3).
Herman, T. 2017. Body fat mass distribution and interrupter resistance, fractional exhaled nitric
oxide, and asthma at school-age.Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 139(3).
pp.810-818.
Tang, F.W. And et. al., 2018. A feasibility study on using tablet personal computers for self‐
reported symptom assessment in newly diagnosed lung cancer patients.International
journal of nursing practice, p.e12658.
Dunton, G., and et. al., 2016. Momentary assessment of psychosocial stressors, context, and
asthma symptoms in hispanic adolescents. Behavior modification. 40(1-2). pp.257-280.
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