Is there an app for that? Benefits for using mobile health apps.



Mobile health apps are becoming more common among patients and practitioners. Patients can find an app to help monitor their activity levels, their weight loss, improve their medication adherence, track blood sugar, and track blood pressures. There are many benefits to using health apps including:

• Mobile apps allow patients to self monitor their health.
•  Physicians can be notified when patient's condition change.

• Apps help educate patients about their health and inform them on how to make healthy decisions. 

• Apps help patients work with their doctors and be a part of their own care.

When choosing health care apps here are a few strategies to help you make an educated decisions.

• Consider your own health needs. What kind of app would benefit you and help you achieve your goal.

• Read the app's reviews. This will help you determine if the app has met other peoples needs that are similar to yours. 

• Determine who published the app. If it was developed by a healthcare system or doctor that is beneficial.

• Look for apps that are backed by science.

• Before clicking "I agree" read through the patient privacy statement.

• Beware of apps that have multiple advertisements.

• Determine if the app is approved by the FDA. 

Apps are a convenient way to help you to take control of your own health. Below is a list of healthcare apps that we recommend.

Exercise- fitbit.comExercise- movegb.com
Stress Management-  headspace.com
Smoking cessation- clickotine.com
Hypertension- blood pressure companion
Hypertension- icardio workout tracker
Alcohol moderation- drinkaware.co.uk
Diabetes prevention- omadahealth.com
Diabetes-  www.welldoc.com
Atrial fibrillation screening and dysrhythmias- alivecor.com

References

Atreja, A. (2018). How to choose the best health app for you. Huffington Post. retreived from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/how-to-choose-the-best-health-app-for-you_us_5a54d736e4b0ee59d41c0e01 

Boulos, M. N., Brewer, Ann., Karimkhani, C., Buller, D., & Dellavelle, R. (2014). Mobile medical health apps: state of the art, concerns, regulatory control and certification. Online Journal of Public Health Informatics, 5(3), 229. doi:10.5210/ojphi.v5i3.4814

Diamond, R. (2016). There's an app for that: benefits and risks of using mobile apps for healthcare. The Doctors Company. Retrieved from https://www.thedoctors.com/articles/theres-an-app-for-that-benefits-and-risks-of-using-mobile-apps-for-healthcare/

How do I know if information given on a website is credible?




Because the internet is unregulated anyone can post information about health. So, how do you know if it is reliable information? There are a few key points that you can look for to determine if the website's information is credible.

1. Accuracy

Is the information being provided based on research?
Are the sources that are being used cited?
Are there grammatical or spelling issues?

2. Authority

Who published the information?
Do they have the credentials to provide information?
Are they affiliated with an organization or a university?
Is contact information available?
What is the domain name? Is it followed by .edu .gov .org?

3. Bios/Objectivity

Does the information show multiple points of view?
Who sponsored the web page?
Is the information an advertisement?
Does the information play with your emotions? Be cautious of capital letters, exclamation points, or false claims such as cure or miracle.
Is the information used to promote an individual or a product?

4. Currency/Timelines

Does the information have a published date?
Has it been updated?
Do the links work?

Coverage

Does the information seem complete?
Are sources for additional information given?

Using this criteria will help you decide if a website is providing accurate health related information. Here are a list of quality websites that are recommended to find information.

heart.org
nih.gov
kidshealth.org
drugs.com
mayoclinic.com
medscape.com
cancer.org
healthline.com
healthfinder.gov
menopause.org
acog.org
medlineplus.gov

If you are not sure if a website is reliable you can find further information on websites such as trustortrash.org

References

[image]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2013/199/10/doctors-many-talents

National Network of Libraries of Medicine. (nd). Evaluating Health Websites. retrieved from https://nnlm.gov/initiatives/topics/health-websites

Trust or Trash. (2013). Trust it or trash it. retrived from www.trustortrash.org

I Need Help! - Ways to Find Support

Support groups can be a great resource for people who are facing health challenges. When someone joins and participates in a support group they find information and learning from people who are dealing with the same health challenges. They can find contacts and support from other group participants. Information that is shared in an online support group remains confidential just as it is in an in-person group setting.

There are a variety of health-based support groups available specifically online. The following list of websites is a small example of the vast array of health information that is found on the internet:

Children's Brain Tumor Foundation: An online support group for those newly diagnosed and coping with various types of brain tumors.  Link: cbtf.org

The Compassionate Friends: The national non-profit organization that assists grieving families after the death of a child. Link: compassionatefriends.org

Families Anonymous: A fellowship for family and friends of people with drug, alcohol, and behavioral issues.  Link: familiesanonymous.org

Family Caregiver Alliance: Website with four different online support groups for caregivers and their families. Link: caregiver.org

Leukemia & Lymphoma Society: Offers information and support for patients and their families with leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. Link: lls.org

American Cancer Society: Support for cancer patients and their loved ones. Link: cancer.org

Parent, Family & Friends Network (PFN): A website that offers support for those whose loved ones are struggling with an eating disorder. Link: nationaleatingdisorders.org

Preeclampsia Foundation: Offers access to stories, advice, information, and support online. Link: preeclampsia.org 

References

Healthfinder.gov (n.d.) Retrieved from: https://heathfinder.gov/FindServices/SearchContext.aspx?topic=833

[image] Retrieved from: https://www.dialog-direct.com/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/paper-chain-people2.jpg

Personal Patient Portals

What is a patient portal?

A patient portal is a website that allows the patient to access their personal health information (PIH) anywhere and at any time. The website is confidential and secure. It requires a personal and private username along with a secure password.

Information found in a patient portal includes:

• health summary of doctor's visits
• monitor health devices and vital signs
• review immunization records
• list of prescribed medications
• lab and test results
• discharge information

Some patient portals are interactive and allow the patient to do the following:

• communicate with the doctor - also known as telemedicine
• schedule appointments
• request medication refills
• check insurance coverage
• make payments
• update contact information on your personal profile
• download or fill out forms online

The benefits of using a patient portal include ease of use, access to more information, and greater access to your doctor. Ask your health care provider today if they have this service available. They will give you the complete details on how to access your patient portal.

References

HealthIT.gov (n.d.) What is a patient portal? Retrieved from https://www.healthit.gov/faq/what-patient-portal

[image] (n.d.) Retrieved from: http://csphealthcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Patient-Portal.png

How to Be - Your Own I T

Everybody loves technology as long as it works. When it doesn't work, we look for the IT guy. IT stands for Information Technology. It is a fancy way of saying he is the guy who knows everything about computers. What do you do when there is nobody around to help?

You become your own IT guy. With some basic computer information, you can improve your abilities to master computer technology, at least enough to manage your way around a computer for purposes of finding out more about health.

Let's start with the basics. Here are a few important definitions.

Internet Service Providers (ISP): the company that you pay a monthly fee to in order to use the Internet

Modem: a device used to connect one computer to another over a phone line

Router: a hardware device that routes data from a local area network (LAN) to another network connection

Local Area Network: computer network limited to a home or office

Web Browser: a program used to view Internet pages

Cloud: method of storing large amounts of information on the Internet

Applications (App): Complete, self-contained programs that perform a specific function

URL (Uniform resource locator): the address of a site on the Internet; a standard way of finding objects on the Internet

References

Alexander, S., Frith, K., & Hoy, H. (2019). Applied Informatics for Nurses (2nd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

[image] https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSVsQKgVX7B0NYMiPEyyNqm6lXAN2z2DKI1rv78NPHUqL0M65zPhw

PC Glossary (n.d.) Definitions of computer and internet terms. Retrieved from https://pc.net/glossary/

Portland State University. (n.d.) Basic computer terms. Retrieved from https://web.pdx.edu/~stipakb/download/PA