Technology and health have been coming together more and more over the last decade. From AI-powered prosthetics to sugar level reading tattoos, researchers and scientists are constantly developing new technologies that make us healthier and happier.
Some of the research is focused on common diseases such as diabetes while other research aims to increase general human health. Here we have curated a list of the 7 life-changing medical technology smartphone apps developed in the last few years.
These apps range from diabetes monitoring tools to Artificial Intelligence powered diagnostic devices. Turning our phones into medical tools is one way scientists are helping people battle the rising costs of healthcare.
“In five years’ time, smartphones — or whatever device we use to access information — will take the burden away from the limited number of human specialists we have,” says Keith McNeil, chief clinical information officer of the NHS.
1. Diabetes Manager by WellDoc
Diabetes affects more than 29.1 million people in the United States with about 1.4 million new cases being diagnosed every year. More than one in every 10 adults who are 20 years or older has diabetes.
Diabetes Manager by WellDoc is an FDA approved app acts as a coach and a medical record for people living with type two diabetes. The app works by capturing its users' blood-glucose information and transmitting it in real-time to health care professionals.
WellDoc’s system analyzes the data and offers a personalized coach to help patients manage their medication and treatment. It encourages its users to track their food, general health and medications to assist healthcare professionals in giving tailored medical assistance.
Users of the app can access a huge range of information from lists of appropriate foods to helpful menu guides of local restaurants. The app also helps doctors by collating information about their patient's personal health management in one place.
Last but not least, the app can send reports to medical professionals ahead of time so they are ready with advice and help even before they see their patient.
Medici is a medical app that connects patients and doctors via their mobile phones. The app makes healthcare accessible by connecting people with their medical professionals anytime and anywhere.
Medici has two apps, one for practitioners and one for patients. Once a patient connects with a doctor they can describe their symptoms and send pictures and get advice from a doctor immediately.
Doctors can advise patients to have a follow up physical exam or prescribe medication through the app. Medici aims to help people avoid unnecessary and expensive trips to the doctor and make doctors accessible to a wider range of people all while staying HIPPA-compliant.
Medici could be a gamechanger for people living in remote areas with limited access to healthcare. By being able to access real doctors in real time, people who live in remote areas or have mobility issues can get the help they need without painful or expensive travel.
3. Clinical Trial Seek
This app is aimed at people who have a late stage cancer who have exhausted all current medical help but are compelled to seek new treatments that are still in clinical trial stages. Clinical Trial Seek lets users search up-to-date databases for the latest information on new and up and coming trials.
The app provides detailed information on each trial including the types of cancers it may treat and its location and length. For many being part of such initiatives is their last hope for treatment. The app bridges the gap between the medical research world and critically ill patients bringing hope to the hopeless.
SkinVision is an app that lets you check your skin for risky moles. Skin cancer is rapidly growing, particularly in Western countries. The SkinVision app lets people take photos of their risky moles and get an assessment without having to go and see a specialist.
If you receive a high-risk assessment on a mole the photo will be double checked personally by an in-house dermatologist who will provide a more in-depth report within 48 hours.
The SkinVision app can help assist with early detection of skin cancer. While SkinVision is not a replacement for your specialist dermatologist it can be a really useful tool for people with fair and freckled skin to get in the habit of monitoring their moles and post soft signs of unusual growth or change.
5. Ada - health guide
ADA is an AI-enabled healthcare app that aims to give power to patients. Ada uses a chat box technique to question its users about their symptoms. By asking simple, relevant questions, Ada then compares your answers to thousands of similar cases helping you find possible explanations for your symptoms.
Babylon works in a similar way to both Ada and Medici, but rather than chat with an AI-powered bot, users of Babylon can book a video appointment with a real doctor via the app. If after your appointment your doctor prescribes you medication from a pharmacy, you can order it and have it delivered to your home or work all within the app.
Rather than aiming at people in rural areas, Babylon markets itself to the busy city dweller who doesn’t have the time to travel to doctor appointments. In addition to its medical assistance tools, the app also has a health tracking aspect that encourages its users to monitor their calories intake, weight, pain experiences, and illnesses.
Lumify is a portable ultrasound developed by Phillips. Doctors only need to attach the scanning device to their smart device to have an ultrasound diagnostic tool wherever they are.
Doctors pay a subscription to the service, download the app, plug in the scanning transducer and they can begin to complete ultrasounds on the go. Lumify means doctors can perform important diagnoses wherever they are.
This is a life-saving tool for hospitals in remote areas or in areas where funding is not available for bulky and expensive ultrasound machines. The app optimizes each image making it ready for analysis and doctors can quickly and confidently share images between professionals for second opinions.
This ultrasound scanning super app can be used to diagnose thousands of illnesses and conditions from internal bleeding to pregnancy.