MOBILE HEALTH APPLICATIONS: DESIGNING WITH THE USER IN MIND

摘要

Our lives are being changed by the increasing presence of smartphones. In fact, a recent survey found that more than half of US mobile subscribers now own one. As a result of this growth, numerous mobile health (mHealth) applications are becoming ingrained in our everyday lives. Furthermore, the usage of mHealth applications is growing at a much more rapid rate than that of other applications. Consequently, companies such as Apple and Google are increasing their presence in the mHealth space because of the interest that users have in these types of applications. mHealth applications focus on a variety of issues, ranging from medication reminders to wellness. Along with the growth of these pervasive and ubiquitous health tools, there is also an increasing focus on patient-centered care. A key feature of this approach, especially as people deal with more chronic conditions, is that individuals will have to be responsible for managing more of their own health issues and interact with a variety of clinicians and specialized care providers. Consequently, mHealth applications will play an increasing role in supporting individual needs, ranging from monitoring health status to connecting with healthcare providers.