Insights
How to verify health apps so doctors could prescribe them Health apps help patients with diabetes control their blood glucose levels, assist those with back pain in performing exercises, and even offer therapeutic sessions based on scientifically proven techniques to people suffering from anxiety or depression. Mobile apps can heal. And since they encourage patients to follow the doctor’s instructions, in some cases, they can prove to be as effective as medication. Should they, therefore, be recommended by doctors and reimbursed by health insurers? In November, the German parliament adopted a new law, which is expected to accelerate digitalisation in healthcare. The new regulations also include an option of reimbursing mobile medical apps. This makes Germany the first country in
10
OSOZ World 2020
the world where a doctor will be able to prescribe a smartphone app just like a drug. However, progressive regulations raise an essential question: How to access the quality, usability and value for patients of the health apps?
Professional help or well-being-oriented tools? Although only several years have passed since smartphones entered the market, health apps have already gained immense popularity. There are currently over 330,000 different mobile health apps. Yet, the vast majority of them have nothing to do with medical sciences. They are typically fitness apps whose purpose is motivating the users to play sports, monitoring their physical exertion, or helping them lose weight or abide by their diet. Applications developed together with or by the medical professionals and based on scientific evidence constitute only a tiny percentage of all apps called “health apps”. An example of such an app is Kaia. It was designed to help patients
