This morning at 7:21 I turned the alarm on my iPhone off. I then checked the weather app and my calendar to see what to wear. Got dressed, and on my walk to my first class I played music from my music library. Saw a beautiful flower, so I used my camera to take a photo.
Got on campus and remembered that I had to email my boss. So I logged into the wifi and email him. During class I took notes using the notepad app. Between classes, read the next chapter in "Hell's Dawn" using my iBooks library. At work, I did an interview which I conducted using the Voice Memo app. I also have an app for Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, Blogspot and YouTube. And last month when I was lost in Boston, I used my map app to find the Hynes Convention Center.
What I saying is, I use my smart phone for everything. Everything. So why was I surprised to learn that people use their phone for healthcare? It's called mHealth, and the number of users is increasing, dramatically.
According to the info-graph, being a mHealther could save you money while increasing access to professional medical advise; is most popular in the 18-29 demographic (surprise, surprise); if you're Canadian, could save your brain; and has grown so much that the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has gotten involved - making sure the apps are safe and sound.
By no means am I luddite, but the idea of using my phone in the medical sphere seems dangerous. I know people who use exercise apps, I'm all for that. But I have to wonder if you begin to use our phones as doctor what are we losing?
