JMS: Growing appetite for medical apps
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| Source: ChartZoom.com |
“If current trends continue, smartphone and app use are likely to increase at an accelerated rate,” researchers Orrin I. Franko, MD, and Timothy F. Tirrell reported in the Journal of Medical Systems on Nov. 4. “App availability has exploded in recent years and we have shown that the desire for more high quality apps is strong with much space for further development.”
Researchers administered a survey to providers at institutions accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and received a total of 3,306 responses from 1,397 residents, 524 fellows and 1,385 attending physicians working in 27 different specialties.
Approximately 86 percent of respondents reported that they use a smartphone and 64 percent reported that they use apps. Nearly half of respondents reported that they use an Apple iPhone, 19 percent reported using Android smartphones and 13 percent reported using BlackBerry smartphones.
App use was highest among residents and lowest among attending physicians who completed training more than 15 years ago, indicating an inverse relationship between level of training and app use.
“The results demonstrate that a majority of physicians and trainees currently have smartphones and use apps with a trend toward increasing app use that inversely correlates with level of training,” researchers wrote.
The most commonly used apps were drug guides, which 79 percent of respondents reported using. The most commonly requested apps were textbook and reference materials, classification and treatment algorithms and general medical knowledge.
In addition to presenting the survey’s results, researchers made general observations of the app marketplace.
“We felt that one major limitation that guides app use is their typical sales model,” they wrote. “Potential buyers must rely on screenshots, user reviews and brand loyalty to make their purchasing decisions.”
“One contradiction found within the data was the fact that the most requested apps categories, reference materials, treatment algorithms and general medical knowledge are apparently already available from the app store in various formats,” researchers also observed.
Researchers concluded by predicting that the trend towards smartphone use will result in more apps for providers to choose from, but that their functionality, reliability and ease of use “will likely remain major factors in determining the successful integration of apps into clinical practice."