Apps May Revolutionize Health Care
If you’ve ever been to an appointment with your health care provider, you know that it’s easy to forget part of the discharge instructions. Studies have shown that, on average, only “14 percent of written information is remembered correctly.”[1] This has the potential to lead to increased re-admissions or illnesses getting worse. Communication using Apps have been gaining popularity with physicians and patients seeking to improve their care, and the future is looking bright.
Amwell
Amwell is a popular app that a potential patient can use to connect to a physician remotely. The app has several features, such as a virtual waiting room, online documentation, payment collection and e-prescribing tools. Doctors can connect with their current patients as well as new patients with the app’s Online Care Group function. Each staff member gets in-depth training, clinical guidelines and peer support.
CareZone
The app CareZone allows patients to have all their paperwork in one place. This is beneficial because patients have a tendency to forget 80 to 90 percent of what they’re told at their appointments.[2] A patient can update all of their medications and keep them in a location that they can access with their smartphone. You are also able to set appointment reminders and prescription refill reminders. There is a journal that will update with physician’s notes after each visit. You can use this app for your own health care needs or a family member’s information.
Doctors on Demand
Doctors on Demand uses a $40 pay-per-visit model to let patients connect to physicians virtually on their smartphones, tablets and PCs. The app offers both medical and pediatric care, and you can connect in minutes to a board-certified physician. You are also able to sign up for 25- or 50-minute psychology sessions with a licensed psychologist. Doctors on Demand accepts both cash and various insurance for payment. The mental health aspect of this app is crucial because “6 out of 10 young people who have depression and who are most at risk of suicidal thoughts, difficulty in school and difficulty in relationships with others do not get the treatment needed to support them.”[3] This app has the potential to make access to mental health help easier for anyone who needs it.
Patient IO
The Patient IO app allows primary care physicians to input tasks for their patients to complete remotely. These tasks are tailored to the patient’s current treatment plan, and this app also allows the doctors to track which tasks the patient follows. This information is relayed to the patient’s care team, and they can make changes or improvements based on the data they get. This app will also send push notifications for important tasks to the patient’s phone for an added convenience. The care team and the patient are able to send and receive secure messages with each other about continuing care as well.
Apps for physicians and patients to communicate are expanding, and more are being developed each year. These apps can be extremely useful for keeping patients on track once they leave the doctor’s office. They can also be used to ensure patient compliance with discharge instructions. The future for these apps looks bright, and as the popularity of smartphones increases, these apps may become implemented more as time goes on.
References
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC539473/
[2] https://www.forbes.com/sites/davechase/2012/10/14/doctors-success-hinges-on-transactor-to-teacher-transition/#77eb7010772d
[3] http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/issues/mental-health-america-access-care-data