Health apps and mhealth news

AXA PPP offers clients remote consultations

AXA PPP is expanding its partnership with remote consultation provider Doctor Care Anywhere following a successful pilot. Since May AXA PPP has been trialling the use of Doctor Care Anywhere at its client Universal Music Holdings, achieving a 97% opt-in rate and a high level of satisfaction for the service, which allows users to have a virtual consultation with a GP. AXA PPP will now roll out Doctor Care Anywhere’s services to its other corporate clients, beginning with the company’s new Doctor@Hand tool.

36 health apps account for half of downloads

Just 36 mobile health apps account for half of all downloads of more than 165,000 medical apps available in the Apple iTunes and Google Play app stores. The figures come from research by IMS Institute which said that 40% of all medical apps have fewer than 5,000 downloads. Other findings include that one in ten apps are able to connect to a device or sensor and 34% are able to connect to a social network. IMS Institute also suggests that there is a growing evidence base for the use of health apps based on their use in studies for long term conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Apple's ResearchKit asthma app integrates into EPR

Data from an asthma app developed through Apple's ResearchKit platform is being integrated into the Epic electronic patient record at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine and LifeMap Solutions have been testing the app for the past six months among 8,600 patients recruit through ResearchKit, which allows iPhones to gather data for clinical studies. The app provides personalised reminders to take medicines, tracks trends in a person’s condition and gives users feedback on progress. This data can now be added to a patient’s full medical record at Mount Sinai.

iPad case to reduce risk of infection

FutureNova has launched an iPad case designed to decrease the risk of a clinician or patient in a hospital picking up a healthcare-associated infection, such as norovirus or c-difficile. The FlipPad was developed in consultation with clinicians at Great Ormond Street Hospital and has been designed to be easily cleaned with standard infection control sprays. It also enables clinicians to use standard surgical gloves to operate the touchscreen and features antimicrobial glass that resists bacterial growth. The project received funding from Innovate UK.

Hertfordshire rolls out tablets to drivers

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation has rolled out Panasonic Toughpad FZ-E1 tablet devices to each of its drivers who transport patients and deliver samples, records and equipment between sites. The devices will be used to provide a schedule of the driver’s pick-ups and deliveries, so they can plan the route. They can also scan packages for proof of collection and delivery. The trust worked with app developer TAAP to create the software for the tablet.

Medelinked launches consultation ‘snapshot’

Medelinked has launched a tool that creates a dashboard in a clinician’s Medelinked Partner Health Portal so they can view key information ahead of a patient’s appointment. Medelinked Snapshot allows patients to fill out a simple survey about their current state of health and select any health records in the Medelinked personal health record they want to share. They can then send this ‘snapshot’ to their doctor in order to save time during the consultation.