Chronic health management apps: A preventive approach to chronic conditions

Chronic diseases worldwide are a major cause of deaths. The World Health Organization (WHO) attributes 38 million deaths per year due to chronic non-communicable diseases. To top this, hospitals and patients face the challenge of chronic health management on an everyday basis. Thus, healthcare today has turned to chronic health management applications for a more methodical approach towards providing genuine care to patients.

How exactly is this happening? Chronic diseases are considerably prevalent in high-income countries with a large aging population along with an ailing middle aged population. This is due to many lifestyle habits such as physical inactivity, use of tobacco and alcohol among others giving rise to common chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, cholesterol, stress, depression, overweight and obesity. Many of these risk factors can be alleviated by timely health care interventions and awareness or by using communication tools for lifestyle changes.

Here’s where chronic health management apps become fruitful. These applications make it easy to upload and maintain personal health records electronically. Chronic health patients are thus empowered to have an access to their healthcare documents digitally for easy reference right on their mobile phones.

Patient behavior is changing
Healthcare industry has adapted to digital technology due to the changing behavior and ways of interaction of today’s patients. A report of Mediabistro states - more than 40% of consumers say that information found via social media affects the way they deal with their health. So healthcare industry has turned to social collaborations and health management applications. Healthcare industry is realizing that self-care bestowed to patients is in the best interest of all the stakeholders.

On-the-go is the new norm
Social media and smartphone-based applications are now changing how people interact with healthcare. Most smartphone users have at least one healthcare application installed which they often use. Another Mediabistro study reports - 54% of patients are very comfortable with their providers seeking advice from online communities to better treat their conditions. Since social media platforms and online communities allow for real-time interaction, the information shared on these platforms is considered trustworthy. Trends indicate that information related to preventions and awareness is particularly more shared and adhered to.
Today even scientists and physicians suggest the incorporation of social networking and mobile healthcare in healthcare programs.
Enterprises wishing to disrupt the traditional ways of chronic health care management by offering smart mobile solutions have a lot of scope in this domain.