The world is quickly taking a new form and digitalization seems to be the one and only focus in the new century. There always presents a new way of doing things, that is more efficient, adorable and less time-consuming. Every sector of social and economic life has been affected by digitalization and areas such as medicine are quickly taking a new shape. Mobile application developers have come up with applications which are supposed to help with health assessment and also offer treatment remedies. Health is a very critical issue, one that cannot be misjudged or gambled with. There are various concerns when it comes to using mobile medical applications. For instance, most people who develop these applications are not medical professionals. There are no much guidelines as to how they come up with the applications which they expect millions of people to depend on with regards to their health. Similarly, some of these applications have proven to be quite effective and helpful to patients as well as their doctors. This essay will discuss some of the implications of using mobile medical applications and also explore the positive side of using the apps.
Thousands of mobile applications which monitor health and body processes are available in various app stores. Women can easily check on their periods, their safe days and also know when they can be able to get pregnant by simply using specific apps. There are other applications designed to screen for skin cancers; melanomas and benign skin tumors. These apps enable the user to put on notifications which make it easier by reminding users to take the necessary procedures when the moment arrives as asserted by McCartney (2013) . For instance, birth control notifications help women by reminding them to take their daily pills. Other medical apps also make it easier acquire medical services such as appointments. All that is needed to be done is to key in his or her details, and a doctor will be available within a short while.
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People have come to believe that some of these applications have actually transformed the medical world. Both patients and doctors seem to be benefitting a lot from the mobile medical applications. Some of the apps have platforms on which patients can actively communicate with their physicians. The Apple HealthKit app has just recently been released and works to improve patient-doctor relationship. The app puts together all the health records and fitness data of a patient and gives the patient an option of sharing the information with his or her doctor. The doctor may then find it easier to help the patient by going through his health data.
Some of these may prove to be quite helpful to some groups of people in the society. Diabetics, for instance, need to check their blood sugar levels regular in order to ensure their health condition stays regulated and manageable. People with diabetes often go for blood sugar tests to have levels checked and monitored. It has been confirmed that certain tiny elements can be implanted under the skin that can be used to track blood glucose and relay information to apps such as the Apple HealthKit. This could provide an easier way of dealing with health conditions such as diabetes. Expectant mothers could also benefit from these apps as they require regular checkups. Monitoring a heart rate, for example, is a way of ensuring that the baby's condition is kept in check.
On the other hand, these applications can be fully trusted to deliver or help in improving health. There are those that are used to screen for skin cancers or check for melanomas and those that are benign. Research recently showed that a majority of such app cannot be able to differentiate between benign tumors and actual melanomas. Samples of benign cancers and melanomas were presented to be checked by some of the medical apps. The devices reported a huge number of melanomas as benign ( Ferrero, Morrell & Burkhart, 2013) . This actually sends a strong message to doctors and patients. Using such as an app may put a patient's health at a high risk. According to Lewis and Wyatt (2014), a n assumed melanoma may develop fast and prove very difficult to treat or manage. If a patient uses the app and assumes his her melanoma is only benign, the diagnosis would be delayed, and the patient's health would be in great danger. Doctors have emphasized that these developers should think about how these apps can be misused by desperate patients whose health are at risk. Going for regular checkups may be tiresome and expensive, and such apps may seem to offer alternatives which are relatively cheaper and user-friendly. The results, however, may prove to be quite misleading and disappointing in the long run.
Mobile applications do not require one to have a degree in any medical field. Most of the developers of medical apps are not medical professionals. Patients are not able to know for a fact that these apps are developed by medical professionals or if any medical input or research was done during app development. The world has become quite competitive, and every individual looks out for every opportunity available. Some of the app developers are only business oriented and have no concern over healthcare. Some apps contain non-factual data which mislead people and pose danger to their health.
Most doctors and other medical professional have disagreed with the use of these apps and the results shown by some of the apps. A physician will always want a medical or scientific proof to assess whether the information shown by the app can be relied on. The Apple HealthKit makes it possible for patients to share their health information with their doctors. Doctors, however, are not able to guarantee whether the information on the health kit is actually factual. A doctor cannot affirm the accuracy of the measurements of blood sugar among other measurements. Buijink, Visser and Marshall (2013) believe that the doctors not fully satisfied with the apps or convinced of their accuracy, these medical apps may take ages before they revolutionize medicine.
The apps can do more than only misjudge health conditions of patients. Patients may develop other terrible conditions such as paranoia and retaliation. Some patient may actively stop going for critical medical checkups or treatments and rely on apps. Patients' mentality may be affected, and they may become paranoid about their health. Hackers have always posed threats to people's safety. Medical app users risk their information getting hacked or linked out. Patients with critical health conditions would not want their information to be leaked out to the web for the whole world to see.
In conclusion, it can be judged from this essay that medical apps may not be the key to improving a person's health. Some of the apps are helpful, effective and improve doctor-patient relationships. Some can be used to check on critical biological processes such as the menstrual cycle in women. The accuracy of these cannot be proven or even deemed factual by doctors. App developers do not require medical input in order to develop the apps. Some of the apps can mislead patients and misjudge serious conditions such as melanomas to be benign. These apps require a scrutiny in order to ensure that the results they relay can be trusted before they are accepted into the market.
References
Buijink, A. W., Visser, B. J., & Marshall, L. (2013). Medical apps for smartphones: lack of evidence undermines quality and safety. Evid Based Med , 18 (3), 90-92.
Ferrero, N. A., Morrell, D. S., & Burkhart, C. N. (2013). Skin scan: a demonstration of the need for FDA regulation of medical apps on iPhone. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology , 68 (3), 515-516.
Lewis, T. L., & Wyatt, J. C. (2014). mHealth and mobile medical apps: a framework to assess risk and promote safer use. Journal of medical Internet research , 16 (9).
McCartney, M. (2013). How do we know whether medical apps work?. Bmj , 346 , f1811.
