Time to embrace smartphone-based apps to aid well-being: Experts

New Delhi At a time when the world is witnessing a boom in smartphoneassisted technologies helping healthcare providers India cannot be lagging behind to give the health for all dream a muchneeded boost feel expertsPhysicians the world over are increasingly using smartphonecompatible medical devices to gather crucial health data in an efficient way These smartphone devices allow patient data to be automatically recorded stored and transmitted securely Everything from boosting cancer research to information on sexual preferences is now part of the smartphone revolutionRepresentational pictureIndia is ready for smartphoneassisted health aid Lots of such apps are already being used here It will help the needy keep track of their health on a daily basis Dr Rommel Tickoo senior consultant internal medicine from Max Healthcare in the capital told IANSAccording to Dr Ashish Bachhav head of department cornea refractive at Vision Sankara Eye hospital in Mumbai although traditional methods are still the gold standard in diagnosis and treatment smartphonesbased apps can not only assist in finding nearest health care expert but also store the patients record in a better wayVision Sankara is part of the Sankara Eye Care Institutes in Mumbai and was a segment of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Medical Trust founded in 1977 in CoimbatoreIndia is ready for smartphoneassisted health aid in the field of neurosurgery and neurological disorders It has a huge potential to transform neurohealthcare especially for the rural and semiurban population of our country Dr Mohinish Bhatjiwale director neurosurgery minimally invasive brain and spine at Nanavati Super Specialty Hospital in Mumbai told IANSAccording to a recent research published in American Medical Associations Journal of Ethics authors Michael A Batista and Shiv M Gaglani emphasise that by providing health information and instructions in a userfriendly interface smartphonesynced devices empower patients to take an active role in their own healthUnlike older generations of athome monitoring equipment that required manual record keeping these smartphone devices present that data in comprehensive visual formats such as graphs that convey trends over time they wrote suggesting that such apps may ultimately enhance patient engagementAccessibility and availability will soon make it popular among the healthcare providers adds Dr Rahul Gupta senior neurosurgeon and spine surgeon from Fortis HealthcareSmartphonebased technology can help early consultation and facilitate better treatment New modified apps can be trusted once they are tested extensively but it should always be done under the supervision of a good medical practitioner Dr Gupta addedDr Nupur Gupta gynaecologist and obstetrician and director of the Well Women Clinic in Gurgaon says in current scenario doctors need to be up to date with technology so we have also started using modern methods of consultationsAccording to her the technology has already moved into the Indian healthcare sector and there are several apps offering online services not only for basic consultations but also for a second medical opinionResearchers Batista and Gaglani feel that as smartphoneenhanced medical devices continue to be integrated into patients lives at home the next step is clinical adoptionDr Eric Topol a USbased renowned professor of genomics and the Scripps endowed chair in innovative medicine who has twice diagnosed arrhythmias on airplanes using a mobile electrocardiogram ECG is a leading supporter of smartphonebased healthcare they wroteMobile physicians such as those in emergency medicine will find clear value in portable devices that can for example capture focussed assessment with sonography for trauma FAST images and send them through a smartphone to the hospital ahead of the patient for prearrival diagnosis by a physicianKourosh Kalantarzadeh professor at RMIT University in Melbourne Australia has recently devised a smartphonebased handheld device that will help people detect nitrogen dioxide NO2 a significant air pollutantThe revolutionary method we have developed is a great start to creating a handheld lowcost and personalised NO2 sensor that can even be incorporated into smartphones Kalantarzadeh said in a paper published in the journal ACS NanoAccording to Dr Tickoo apps can act as better screening tools The newage gadgets and apps can help us know what is going wrong with our health so that we can seek medical advice he addsThe newage technologies can act as an adjunct to the traditional methods and the smartphonebased apps can spread awareness about many ailments experts sum up