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FDA Eyes Medical Apps, and the Way Doctors Use the iPhone

by Matthew Zuras on April 13, 2010 at 08:25 AM

We've seen a slew of medical apps hit the mobile market lately, and the proliferation of those apps has raised concerns among some that there is not enough oversight with this newly available tech. There are over 1,500 apps available for health care professionals; Manhattan Research estimates that, by 2012, 81-percent of doctors will have smartphones, potentially with medical apps installed. As with the Web and its haystack of misinformation mixed imperceptibly with fact, there is plenty of cause to mistrust such programs -- and the potential for hypochondriac consumer abuse. But should these apps, largely used by doctors with no small amount of schooling, be regulated by the FDA?

According to Scientific American, the FDA is "considering" oversight of the medical app market, as those apps are technically designated as medical devices and thus subject to regulation. But there needs to be a clear distinction between diagnostic apps and reference material, we imagine. Though, classifying medical apps as either one or the other may be difficult when they all appear on the same device.

But there is a major difference between having a compendium of, say, human anatomy installed on your cell, and using your iPhone to diagnose someone's cough. After all, hospitals, clinics, and private practices all have their own reference libraries because even the best doctors simply can't memorize every textbook in the world. Reference apps are proving themselves invaluable not only as handy cheat sheets for docs, but to aid medical professionals in explaining conditions to their patients. As such, there need be no regulation for the data in those apps if there is no federal oversight on the books from which that data is taken. Publishers and peer reviews have been the regulating force behind those books, and they should continue to be with supplemental medical apps.

We are not entering an age where patients will simply press their thumb to an iPhone and have their prognosis pop up. When the tricorder is finally invented, you'll be sure that the FDA will have a considerable trial, as with any current medical device. The greater cause for concern is the potential for self-diagnosis. Although medical textbooks and devices have been available to consumers in the past, the ease with which you can download 'Gray's Anatomy' or the cough-analyzing app provides for greater abuse potential. Such applications need to clearly warn non-professional users that they need to speak with their physician in addition to using available information. Tech won't replace your physical exam any time soon, even if it does help you understand your body better. [From: Scientific American]

Tags: app, apps, doctor, FDA, food and drug administration, FoodAndDrugAdministration, health, iphone, medical, medical apps, MedicalApps, medicine, smartphone, top

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