The Wall Street Journal today published a feature on tracking vital signs using smartphone applications: “Your iPhone Just Called: Your Blood Sugar is High,” a poorly-worded headline (apps don’t make your iPhone “call” you) but the article gives great exposure to a number of companies working in wireless health: AllOne Health, TheCarrot, Ringful, Polka, Microsoft, WebMD and more.
Microsoft’s Senior Global Strategist George Scriban handled the visionary statement: “Mobile devices are going to act like your hub,” as the writer pointed out that many gaps in the health information equation still remain. Sure, you can track vital signs and keep apps updated, but how does that information become a part of your care record? With only 3 percent adoption (Forrester), PHRs do not look to be the answer yet, but some are still pushing for self-monitoring of vital signs to integrate into EHRs:
“While these mobile applications help alleviate some of the inconvenience of updating and viewing health info online, many gaps still remain. Some doctors and hospitals are slowly converting patients’ paper records to digital systems—systems built using technology that’s currently incompatible with most-smart phone apps used by consumers. So at this point, the notion of a patient sending medical information to a hospital, clinic or doctor’s office is still impossible for most people.”
Be sure to read the full article over at the WSJ