Brief notes and links from Mainstreaming medical apps; reducing NHS costs; improving patient outcomes event at the Royal Society of Medicine.

• 90% of apps are not used after 6 months. 80% of apps do not generate revenue to support a business. 500 million people will use a health app by 2017, a soon to be $26 billion industry. >80% of surgical trainees use a mobile phone at work. Why do people not use health apps? 37% the sheer number of them is confusing. What would convince you to use a health app? 50+% if the app is free.
• Depression will be the largest cuse of disability by 2020 (WHO). £105 bn annual cost in UK. 75% of those with a diagnosable mental illness receive no treatment. People with poor mental health die 15-20 years younger.
• EC green paper on mHealth (April 2014).
• A study of the content of 47 smoking cessation apps shows an inverse relation between app popularity and behavioural evidence; here is a similar paper for chronic pain management apps; for melanoma diagnostic apps; for opioid conversion apps; a study evaluating the content of cancer apps.
• The HSCIC is the national provider of information, data and IT systems for commissioners, analysts and clinicians in health and social care.
• Our Mobile Health reviews and tests medical apps.
• Orange is into healthcare? @orangehcare. mHealth grand tour trial on real-time feedback and monitoring of glucose levels in diabetics.
• Phones grow all sorts of bacteria.
• Seven deadly sins of app development: (1) inequality in app availability vs incidence of disease, (2) lack of expertise; no medical specialty involvement in app development, (3) plagerism- copying information from the web into an app, (4) commercial bias/interests- apps with no consumer reviews, promoting private practice, (5) inaccuracy and errors e.g. in melanoma detection and calculator apps, (6) lack of security & confidentiality, (7) lack of testing, evidence to support effect (e.g., this review, and this paper).
• Behaviour change COM-B framework (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation); 93 behaviour change techniques have been grouped in this paper.
• MyHealthApps: patients helping each other find apps that are useful to them.
• BCN Health App were demo’ing their TCApp for eating disorder management.
• The Alliance of European Life Sciences Law Firms. What is a medical device? Includes software intended by the manufacturer for diagnosis, prevention, monitoring, treatment or alleviation of disease. Yet “stand alone software for general purposes when used in a healthcare setting is not a medical device.” Yet…
• “Medical device stand-alone software including apps” UK guidance online. “Mobile Medical Applications” US FDA guidance online.
• Patient view: compliance = automation + simplicity
• Big White Wall 27k members, 27% of UK adult population covered in contracts
• Prof Meddis (Essex): anyone that can command an iPhone can produce their own hearing aide. Here is BioAid.