The paradigm of needing to have various health indicators measured at the surgery, by a physician, is set to change. How quickly that will happen is yet to be determined, however smartphone and app designers are already creating medical devices and programs that can record diagnostic data and upload it to existing health records.

What are the benefits of self-administered diagnostic apps?

The ability for a patient to have their phone linked to their healthcare records and for it to track medical metrics will have massive repercussions. Medical apps and devices will allow patients to take home what they could once only do in a clinic. Such technologies will begin to throw up open options for both patients and doctors, allowing them to decide when, where, and how individuals receive care, thus making healthcare more convenient, affordable, and accessible.

Being able to utilise such devices in the home environment means that patients will be more comfortable when taking diagnostics, potentially avoiding the notorious ‘white-coat effect’ so commonly observed in clinics. Research published in the British Medical Journal in 2010, looking at blood pressure measurements in particular, found that a rise of up to 29 units was observed if a doctor checked the blood pressure and a rise of up to 17 units if a nurse took the measurement. They surmised that wearing a cuff to take regular measurements outside of a clinical environment would produce a more accurate result.

What’s hitting the market?

The highly regulated healthcare systems of the US and Europe are pushing innovation in this field overseas and many new ideas and technologies are now coming in from regions such as India and Africa. And although many aren’t cleared for sale yet, credit card-sized devices such as the AliveCor electrocardiogramcan already monitor a patient’s heart rhythm in real-time via the Android, iPhone and iPad platforms. The device simply slots over the back of a smartphone, fitted with two electrodes that can be held between the hands or against the chest. This couples up with an app loaded onto the phone and by subsequently sending the resulting data to the loud, the patient’s cardiologist can then look at it immediately.

Clinical studies with the tool are ongoing at Oklahoma University Health Sciences Centre and the cost of such technology is surprisingly low: current indications are that AliveCor’s device would sell for around $100. Other similar devices are turning smartphones into otoscopes for examining your ears, or glucometers for monitoring blood sugar.

Linked to the bioengineering department at Emory University School of Medicine, CellScope is working on the creation of a smartphone attachment and software app that enables the phone to function as an otoscope. With video and data transmission capabilities, it’s a device that has the potential to change how common ear infections and diseases, such as otitis media, are diagnosed. Ear infections are the number one reason why children under the age of five have to visit their doctor in the US. Emory’s system could eventually be used by parents for at-home ear examinations in real-time consultation with a physician. Images could be captured and uploaded to patient records at the same time.

Patients with chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, are amongst those most likely to benefit from self-monitoring smartphone or tablet-based devices and software. Products pending FDA clearance, such as the iBGStar Blood Glucose Meter, could have a massive impact on the day-to-day life of diabetes sufferers. Currently designed for the iPhone or iPod Touch, the small device fits into the socket at the base and is used alongside a lancet device and a test strip which absorbs the blood sample.

We are moving ever closer to the magical, scanner-like tricorder that Star Trek doctors use on board their spaceships to diagnose and treat all kinds of ill health. From the realms of science fiction, to technology far closer to home, the possibility of such a device has been acknowledged by the famous X Prize Foundation that has driven forward such futuristic technologies as genome sequencing technology and commercial space flight. A $10 million prize is up for grabs for the first research group or individual to create a functional tricorder. The race is on and it’s going to get very interesting as we go along.