Epocrates: 1 in 5 users to buy iPads

Epocrates, one of the top selling medical smartphone applications, recently published results from a survey of its physician users that found about 20 percent of them, or one in five plan to buy an Apple iPad when the device hits store shelves. Epocrates also announced it will create a special version of its app for [...]

How to avoid FDA mHealth regulation

Strategies for mHealth Companies Wishing to Avoid FDA Regulation By Bradley Merrill Thompson (I would like to thank Leah Kendall of EpsteinBeckerGreen and Dane Stout of the Anson Group for their comments on a draft. The views expressed, right or wrong, are only the author’s and should not be attributed to anyone else.) Most people know the [...]

Shorts: WWHI; Philips; Heart disease

Wireless sensors for sleep apnea, caloric intake: At a recent event in San Diego, The West Wireless Health Institute’s Mehran Mehregany told attendees that soon smartphones like the iPhone or Google’s Nexus One would record snoring to detect sleep apnea, use barcodes on food packages to track calories, and use inertial sensors to track activity [...]

White House CTO officially launches Text4Baby

Text4Baby, a free mHealth service that “provides timely and expert health information through SMS text messages to pregnant women and new moms through their babies’ first year,” has officially launched today, White House Federal Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra announced during a plenary session at the National Health IT Summit in Washington, D.C. “I am very [...]

Does mHealth need a doctor’s prescription?

It’s a simple question: Do mobile health tools require a doctor’s prescription? Or will the main driver for mHealth services bubble up from consumers and patients largely without care providers weighing in? Throughout the keynote sessions at the mHealth Initiative’s event in Washington D.C. this week, the focus was squarely on care providers’ adoption of mobile [...]

Use of web services for computerized medical decision support, including infection control and antibiotic management, in the intensive care unit

The increasing complexity of procedures in the intensive care unit (ICU) requires complex software services, to reduce improper use of antibiotics and inappropriate therapies, and to offer earlier and more accurate detection of infections and antibiotic resistance. We investigated whether web-based software can facilitate the computerization of complex medical processes in the ICU. The COSARA application contains the following modules: Infection overview, Thorax, Microbiology, Antibiotic therapy overview, Admission cause with comorbidity and admission diagnosis, Infection linking and registration, and Feedback. After the implementation and test phase, the COSARA software was installed on a physician's office PC and then on the bedside PCs of the patients. Initial evaluation indicated that the services had been integrated easily into the daily clinical workflow of the medical staff. The use of a service oriented architecture with web service technology for the development of advanced decision support in the ICU offers several advantages over classical software design approaches.

Introduction

Feasibility of web-based decision aids in neurological patients

Decision aids (DAs) may be helpful in improving patients' participation in medical decision-making. We investigated the potential for web-based DAs in a rehabilitation population. Two self-administered DAs focused on the treatment of acquired ankle-foot impairment in stroke and the treatment of arm-hand function in cervical spinal cord injury (SCI). Data collection comprised a telephone interview and a self-reported paper questionnaire. Of the patients who agreed to participate, 39 stroke patients (44%) and 38 patients with SCI (78%) returned a questionnaire. More than 75% of patients expressed a need for more information about the treatment of disease-related impairment. The DAs were highly appreciated by both patient groups. Nearly all patients expressed a positive attitude towards the use of the web-based DAs in general practice. The DAs had a positive effect on the knowledge about the treatment alternatives in the stroke patients (P = 0.001), although not in the patients with SCI. The DAs reduced patients' conflict about treatment (P < 0.05). The effect of the DAs on patients' desired role in decision-making was limited. Web-based aids are feasible in the rehabilitation population with access to a computer and can improve the knowledge gaps in patients.

Evaluation of a web-based lifestyle coach designed to maintain a healthy bodyweight

We evaluated a web-based intervention, the Healthy Weight Assistant (HWA), which was designed to help people with a healthy bodyweight, or those who are slightly overweight, to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Four evaluation methods were used: (1) pre- and post-test questionnaires; (2) real time usability-tests; (3) log-file analysis; (4) qualitative analysis of forum posts, email messages and free-text responses in the questionnaires. A total of 703 respondents received access to the HWA. Six weeks after receiving access, 431 respondents completed a second questionnaire. The enthusiastic responses showed that many people were interested in using an interactive online application to support achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. The preliminary results suggest that improvements with respect to motivation may lead to large effects, yet require only small changes in the design of the HWA. Sending automatic tailored reminders may enhance motivation to keep using the application. Motivation to change behaviour may be enhanced by emphasizing goal setting and visualizing progress.

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