Does an App a day keep the doctor away?
Experts recommend that users opt for health apps with clear privacy rules, and only after discussing it with doctors
Pills with ingestible sensors to monitor your health. Contact lenses to measure glucose levels in your tears and transmit that data to your smartphone… this is the future of health apps that are already redefining the way patients and doctors are approaching health care.
Apps and wearable gadgets that measure physical activity, nutrition levels and calorie counts are popular in India, and, for the most part, doctors have given their blessing, but with a few caveats.
Ensure quality
Users should always ensure the quality of the app used. Dr. Sudarshan H. Ballal, nephrologist and chairman of Manipal Hospitals, Bengaluru, says health apps certainly sensitise and motivate users to attain certain goals in terms of fitness and calorie consumption levels. “However, many of the apps and devices may not be accurate and could overestimate the activities. This has also been my personal experience where the app overestimated my activity level by as much as 10,000 steps in a given day, where a bumpy jeep ride was mistaken for a marathon,” he says.
Another setback is that popular apps are still in a nascent stage of development. Most are geared towards American and European lifestyles. According to Sheela Krishnaswamy, a Bengaluru-based diet, nutrition and wellness consultant, users may find it difficult to measure portion sizes or input accurate measures. “Inaccurate data entry by the user will lead to inaccurate information output by the app. Many of the apps give information only about calories. However, calories are only a part of the entire nutrition picture. An app cannot [be a] substitute [for] a nutritionist,” she says.
Some doctors do have a bank of tried and tested apps that they recommend to patients. “We make our patients aware of the various options available, but the final choice is left to them,” says Dr. Naresh Bhat, chief of liver and gastroenterology at Aster CMI Hospital, Bengaluru. “There are some apps for medical professionals, too, and my younger colleagues who use them find them beneficial.”
Gynaecologist Dr. Hema Divakar often asks her patients who have issues with high blood pressure or sugar during pregnancy, to send the readings through an app. “Patients find it very reassuring that they have a virtual connect with me and will receive alert messages when such [a] situation arises. This avoids anxiety and minimises visits to the hospital. Considering the traffic jams and logistics, this is a real relief,” says Dr. Divakar, who represents the Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI) at the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO).
‘Get up, work out’
Dr. Rebecca Kuriyan-Raj, associate professor who also heads the Nutrition and Lifestyle Clinic at St John’s Medical College Hospital, Bengaluru, adds that fitness gadgets actually help people realise how sedentary their lifestyles are. “This could further motivate them to increase their physical activity and reduce sedentary behaviour. Any of these devices and apps needs to be validated against a criterion method. So, while buying or asking for a fitness gadget, it is always good to ask for accuracy,” she says.
Dr. Anil Kapur, Chairman of the World Diabetes Foundation, also feels that apps and gadgets serve as motivational tools and can help those who want to adhere to a healthy lifestyle. “They also serve to improve understanding of the consequence of actions related to eating and exercise and, therefore, are good tools for behaviour change,” he says.
There’s no going back to a world without apps. Experts recommend that users opt for apps with clear privacy rules, and only after discussing it with their doctors. After all, at its best, a health app should improve a person’s quality of life
yasmeen.afshan @thehindu.co.in
==================================
