March 28, 2024

Podcast on Asthma and Health Information Technology

Anna Gard, Health IT and Quality Consultant, Association for Clinicians for the Underserved Introduces the Role of Health IT in Managing Asthma There is constant development of patient-centric tools to support asthma self-management and promote engagement with clinicians, patients and families to assist in identifying, reporting their asthma triggers, monitoring their asthma status, supporting self-care and management strategies. Some of these tools and technologies really help (A) engage … [Read more...]

New Smartphone App on Tobacco Cessation

ACU has launched a new smartphone app that helps clinicians talk to patients about tobacco use. The app includes a six brief questions that clinicians can ask patients to measure their nicotine dependence. Release of the app coincides with the annual Great American Smokeout, a day when Americans are encouraged to make a plan to quit, or to plan in advance and quit smoking that day. The ACU Low Health Literacy Nicotine Addition Test scores the patient's responses to the six questions and … [Read more...]

mHealth Apps: Beware of Snake Oil

By Anna M. Gard, FNP-BC With 247 million mobile phone users worldwide expected to download a health app in 2012, mHealth needs a watchdog, akin to Consumer Reports for apps, to "out" the hucksters making false and potentially harmful health claims. This Washington Post Report highlights the worst medical apps, those making false and potentially harmful claims.  The FDA recently released guidelines on mHealth technologies in effort to balance the potential for innovation with patient … [Read more...]