PRODUCT COMPARISON TABLE Our first step in any assessment plan is to familiarize ourselves with the technology. We unpackaged each glucometer, photographed the contents, and assigned each kit its own shoebox-sized container. During testing, it is easy to get components mixed up, so having them distinctly contained and separated helps ensure the equipment and its […]
For our 2012 mHealth toolkit, TTAC purchased nine of the most current hardware platforms from the mobile market (as of August 2012), and we used phones from that lot to evaluate glucometers and their apps. The following section discusses the devices tested, the test plan, and the testing results. Tested Glucometers and Corresponding Apps Glucometer […]
Epidemiology & Public Health Several functions of mobile devices lend themselves to epidemiology and public health applications. Software can track a mobile phone user’s movements, and then cross-reference those patterns with reports of various infectious disease outbreaks. This makes it possible for consumers to track their risk of exposure, and for epidemiologists to monitor how […]
Given the variables in mobile devices, it is premature to discuss medical monitoring apps without an overview of the mobile hardware that will host such apps. An ‘app’ is simply software that is programmed in a language that will work on a given mobile operating system. As such, we’ll begin the apps discussion with a […]
This section of the toolkit provides an overview of the types of devices and applications used in the delivery of mHealth services, but does not delve too deeply into specific models of equipment due to the constantly-shifting product landscape. Hardware Software
American Dialect Society. “App” 2010 Word of the Year, as Voted by American Dialect Society. American Dialect Society. N.p., 7 Jan. 2011. Web. 23 July 2013. Glen, Brandon. “Mobile Health Apps Hold Big Potential for Diabetes Management.” Medical Economics. Modern Medicine Network, 1 Oct. 2012. Web. 10 June 2013. Hill, Travis, and Joseph V. Madia, M.D. “FDA Approves […]
The overlap between consumer and professional products within the mHealth world creates a confusing mix of standards, product reviews, and available resources that are not all relevant to clinical needs. TTAC found several organizations and online resources especially useful in the creation of the toolkit materials, as listed below. Clinical Standards At this time, few […]
Mobile health apps provide an interesting challenge to organizations looking to provide a controlled, organized technology deployment to their staff and patients. Due to the ubiquity of cell phones and tablet devices, it is quite likely that an organization will have to determine how to best integrate existing personal devices with newly purchased, program-specific applications. […]
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, mHealth is “the use of mobile and wireless devices to improve health outcomes, healthcare services, and health research.” mHealth includes text messaging, telemedicine/telehealth (remote patient monitoring), electronic health records, gamification, and health apps, to name a few. Mobile technology has been expanding over the past […]
The “About mHealth Apps” section of this toolkit discusses the numerous options for mHealth apps and the different points to consider prior to purchase and deployment. This section also provides resources for further reading. Technology Overview Deployment and Support Standards and Resources References and Literature Review
