Honing in on HealthKit: An App Review

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A few weeks ago, MobiHealthNews rounded up an updated list of the health and wellness apps that connect to Apple’s HealthKit, a health and fitness data exchange that facilitates data sharing between iOS apps. With a total of 137 apps, MobiHealthNews analyzed the ways in which these apps integrate with HealthKit—some only pull data, some only push data and about 20 percent do both. When all analyses were complete, the major point discovered was this: while HealthKit makes it possible to share dozens of different types of health and fitness data, most apps make use of the same few data points. Active calories and weight data are both among the top three most popular data types to push or pull from HealthKit. Take a look below to see the full results!

Number of apps pushing various kinds of data (or “writing”) to Apple HealthKit.

• 34 percent of HealthKit apps (46) are pushing active calories data.
• 20 percent of HealthKit apps (28) are pushing weight data.
• 18 percent of HealthKit apps (25) are writing heart rate data.
• 18 percent (24) are pushing workouts data to HealthKit, even though the Apple Health app doesn’t have such a field.
• 15 percent of HealthKit apps (21) are feeding step count data into the platform.
• 15 percent (20) are sharing walking and running distance data with HealthKit.
• 10 percent of HealthKit apps (14) are pushing out sleep analysis data.
• 9 percent (12) are sharing nutrition data with the HealthKit ecosystem.
• 8 percent (11) are pushing out blood pressure data with HealthKit.
• 7 percent of HealthKit apps (9) are writing cycling distance data.

Number of apps pulling various kinds of data (or “reading”) from Apple HealthKit

• 23 percent of HealthKit apps (32) are pulling weight data.
• 16 percent (22) are integrating step count data from HealthKit.
• 12 percent (17) are using active calories data from the platform.
• 10 percent of HealthKit apps (14) are using heart rate data pulled from the system.
• 10 percent (14) are pulling down blood pressure data from HealthKit.
• 9 percent (13) make use of walking and running distance data retrieved from HealthKit.
• 9 percent (13) are pulling nutrition data from HealthKit.
• 9 percent of HealthKit apps (12) are using sleep analysis data from the platform.
• 7 percent of HealthKit-connected apps are using the platform to pull in a user’s height.
• 7 percent (9) are pulling in a user’s birthdate from HealthKit.

SOURCE: MobiHealthNews

About DoseSpot 
DoseSpot is a Surescripts certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic health record, electronic dental record, practice management and telehealth software. DoseSpot is certified to e-Prescribe controlled substances and has provided simple, affordable and integratable e-Prescribing solutions to healthcare IT companies since 2009. For more information, please visit www.DoseSpot.com.

Apple’s iPad Marks Healthcare Territory

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Among the various verticals that Apple’s iPad now occupies, recent discussions suggests that the healthcare space may be benefiting the most. The topic of iPad use in healthcare surfaced at VentureBeat’s HealthBeat 2014 conference Tuesday, where Drchrono’s Daniel Kivatinos, Direct Dermatology’s Dr. Angela Walker and Welltok’s Michelle Snyder discussed the use of mobile technology like the iPad and Google Glass in today’s medical realm.

According to Kivatinos, Walker and Snyder, the iPad has had a huge impact on medical practices because it can be used for physician-oriented tasks previously restricted to desktop computers. After the official iPad launch in 2010, many doctors soon gravitated towards the device and incorporated its use into everyday medical practices.

Dr. Walker of Direct Dermatology added that she didn’t fully adopt the iPad in her dermatology practice until the iPad mini came out—she liked how it fit nicely in her white coat’s pocket. Welltok’s Snyder then pointed out that Drchrono was the first to create an EHR app for Google Glass. Some questions still remain around the use of Google Glass in the healthcare vertical, as privacy issues are teased out. The benefits, however, seem to be plentiful at the moment.

Kivatinos described Google Glass’ efficacy, in that quickly pressing Glass’ “record” button to capture a portion of a patient visit could be wildly helpful for both doctor and patient. Walker added that Google Glass might also be useful in patient education: “[surgery is] a discipline where doctors’ hands might be busy a lot and Glass can be helpful…In any setting where your hands are tied, it can be useful.” As discussions surrounding iPads and Google Glass in the medical field continue to multiply, one overall conclusion is very clear: mobile devices are changing the way healthcare professionals run their practices.

Did you miss out on HealthBeat 2014? Catch up on some interesting chats and happenings here!

SOURCE: VentureBeat

About DoseSpot 
DoseSpot is a Surescripts certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic health record, electronic dental record, practice management and telehealth software. DoseSpot is certified to e-Prescribe controlled substances and has provided simple, affordable and integratable e-Prescribing solutions to healthcare IT companies since 2009. For more information, please visit www.DoseSpot.com.

Medication Adherence Apps Raise Healthcare Hopes

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Here at DoseSpot,

We’re all about changing the face of America’s prescription system. With our e-prescribing integration platforms, the goal is to make prescription writing and transmission more efficient and secure. Another technological tool making some innovative headway on the prescription front is the smartphone medication adherence app.

Medication non-adherence is a prevalent and costly problem that contributes to poor treatment outcomes and exhausts valuable healthcare resources. The 2013 National Report on Medication Adherence in America estimated that non-adherence is costing the U.S. health care system a whopping $290 billion annually! Interventions to mitigate non-adherence have been largely unsuccessful in the past, but a slew of easy-to-use apps are hoping to improve outcomes.

Using Apple, Android, or Blackberry smartphones, patients can download medication adherence apps such as (hyperlink) MyMedSchedule, MediSafe and RxmindMe, and set basic medication reminders, create schedules, track lab results and more. Former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop once said, “drugs don’t work in patients who don’t take them” and if medication adherence apps can reduce existing headache-inducing treatment blunders, U.S. healthcare providers may finally be able to breathe a much needed sigh of relief.

Sources: Medscape and National Community Pharmacists Association

For more information on medication adherence apps that are currently on the market, explore this helpful link from the American Pharmacists Association:

http://www.pharmacist.com/medication-adherence-there%E2%80%99s-app.

CHALLENGE: Calling all tech-powered women! Do you have what it takes to tackle the U.S. medication adherence issue? If so, check out the 2014 Surescripts Adherence Challenge. Applications are being accepted through July 22!

About DoseSpot

DoseSpot is a Surescripts™ certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic health record, electronic dental record, practice management and telehealth software. DoseSpot has provided simple, affordable and integratable e-Prescribing solutions to healthcare IT companies since 2009. For more information, please visit www.DoseSpot.com.

The Health Tracking Race: Who Will Win?

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Ready to get fit from the comfort of your own smartphone or tablet? Recent developments in the tech sphere likely have you covered. Over the past few weeks, three major players in the digital health industry–Google, Apple and Samsung–have unveiled newly polished, fitness-ready consumer health apps for public viewing. The initial verdicts on Google Fit, Samsung’s Gear Fit, and Apple’s iOS 8 Health app are officially out. Take a look below to see what consumers are saying:

Google Fit 

Google Product Manager Ellie Powers describes the new Google Fit platform at the 2014 Google I/O, Google’s annual developers’ conference held in San Francisco.

Basics: fitness and health tracking platform for Android smart devices. Google Fit will aggregate users’ fitness data in one place, and sync data from popular wearable devices created by Nike, Adidas, and more.

Pros: comprehensive data analysis in one location, complete picture of users’ fitness and better tracking of fitness goals, single set of APIs for all health products.

Cons: too similar to already-existing data aggregation platforms, failure to address how medical professionals might access this data, potential compatibility issues.

Gear Fit by Samsung

Basics: a wearable activity-tracking wristband with a heart rate monitor, pedometer, and flexible display screen. Well-suited for basic activities such as running, walking, cycling, and hiking.

Pros: excellent display resolution, customizable screen features (backgrounds and clock face), changeable watch bands, compatible with at least 17 Samsung smartphones and tablets, notable ‘smartwatch’ features (phone call, text message, and email alerts).

Cons: error-prone and “bare bone” activity trackers, faulty mileage calculations, very low battery life (vs. JawBone and FitBit models), poor accessibility (requires bulky “charging cradle”).

Apple iOS 8 Health

     

Basics: iPhone app that allows users to collect biometric information (i.e. heart rate, blood pressure, etc.) and automatically send it to doctors or hospitals via the Medical ID feature.

Pros: comprehensive set of activity trackers (fitness, nutrition, sleep patterns, blood glucose levels, cholesterol levels, etc.), customizable and seamless user interface.

Cons: performance concerns with exchange of medical data (physicians bombarded with low-priority data and patient compliance issues).

Sources: TechCrunch, Apple, and The Verge. 

Need more convincing? Engage your critical consumer eye with these helpful articles:

Gear Fit by Samsung: http://www.forbes.com/sites/ewanspence/2014/06/22/samsung-gear-fit-review-a-combined-fitness-band-and-stylish-smartwatch-for-your-galaxy-smartphones/

Google Fit: http://news360.com/article/243439279

Apple iOS 8 Health: http://9to5mac.com/2014/06/02/a-closer-look-at-ios-8s-health-app-video/

About DoseSpot

DoseSpot is a Surescripts™ certified e-Prescribing platform specifically designed to integrate with electronic health record, electronic dental record, practice management and telehealth software. DoseSpot has provided simple, affordable and integratable e-Prescribing solutions to healthcare IT companies since 2009. For more information, please visit www.DoseSpot.com.