03/25/2013
Research presented at a meeting of the American Academy of Neurology finds that a real-time text messaging-based paging system reduced the time between emergency department admission and treatment for patients experiencing acute ischemic stroke. MedPage Today.
03/22/2013
During a congressional hearing Thursday, an FDA official said the agency will issue final guidance on regulation of mobile health applications by Oct. 1. Meanwhile, FDA said that smartphones and tablets will not be subject to a medical device tax. Yesterday's hearing was the third in a three-day series of meetings on mobile health regulation. Modern Healthcare et al.
03/21/2013
During a congressional hearing yesterday, experts expressed concern that FDA regulation of mobile health applications could stifle industry innovation. Meanwhile, debate continued about whether such apps would be subject to a medical device tax. Yesterday's hearing was the second in a three-day series of meetings on mobile health regulation. Clinical Innovation & Technology et al.
03/21/2013
A new national study will use smartphones, digital sensors and other devices to gather real-time data that could help researchers identify new strategies to prevent and manage heart disease. Researchers hope to recruit up to one million patients for the study. Wall Street Journal.
03/20/2013
During a congressional hearing yesterday, experts urged FDA to quickly issue final guidance on how the agency will regulate mobile health applications and expressed concern about whether health apps would be subject to a medical device excise tax. Yesterday's hearing was the first in a three-day series of meetings on mobile health regulation. Clinical Innovation & Technology et al.
03/20/2013
An mHealth Alliance report finds that a lack of standards and interoperability is hindering the use of mobile health technology in low- and middle-income countries. The report recommends strategies to incentivize interoperability. FierceMobileHealthcare, mHealth Alliance report.
03/14/2013
A research2guidance report predicts that the global market for mobile health tools will reach $26 billion by 2017. The report states that most of the revenue will come from mobile health products and services, not application downloads. MobiHealthNews, FierceMobileHealthcare.
03/14/2013
According to New York Times columnist Tina Rosenberg, the success of mobile health projects should be measured by health outcomes and not by how well the technology works. She writes that "technology is the easy part" in running mobile health initiatives. New York Times' "Opinionator."
03/13/2013
Next week, the House Energy and Commerce Committee plans to hold three days of hearings to examine how FDA should regulate medical applications used on tablet computers, smartphones and other mobile devices. House lawmakers say they want to determine how the regulation of medical apps could affect patients, health care providers and app developers. Washington Post's "Post Tech."
03/11/2013
According to a new report from communications firm Ruder Finn, 16% of U.S. adult smartphone or tablet users access mobile health applications regularly. The report notes that the most popular mobile health apps focused on fitness and wellness. MobiHealthNews, Ruder Finn report.
03/07/2013
According to a survey conducted for The Atlantic in conjunction with GlaxoSmithKline, about one in 10 U.S. residents has ever sent an email or text message to his or her doctor. However, 64% of U.S. residents have used a website to research health or medical issues. The Atlantic.
03/06/2013
A Cisco report finds that most surveyed patients are willing to communicate with doctors via computers or mobile devices instead of in person. The report is based on a survey of patients and health care decision-makers in 10 countries. Clinical Innovation & Technology et al.
03/05/2013
Six Republican members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee recently sent a letter to FDA asking whether the agency plans to regulate smartphones, tablet computers and mobile applications as medical devices under the Affordable Care Act. The Hill's "Healthwatch" et al.
03/04/2013
A report published by the California HealthCare Foundation predicts a rise in the adoption of passive health sensors for personal health management and clinical purposes. The report outlines several issues that manufacturers should address to support sensor adoption. MobiHealthNews.
03/01/2013
Cancer Research UK is partnering with technology organizations like Amazon, Facebook and Google to develop a mobile game that could accelerate cancer research. The game will allow smartphone users to look at data sets and identify subtle mutations in tumors' DNA that likely could not be detected by computers. Cancer Research UK plans to launch the game in mid-2013. BBC News, Reuters.