Medical Apps That Can Potentially Save Your Life

There’s an app for everything these days — you can keep up with your social life, order a pizza or even run a business with a few taps on your smartphone screen. One type of app that has been lagging behind is medical apps.

Companies aren’t making them because to give medical advice without having a doctor or medical professional examine the patient creates enormous liability — but they are starting to pop up here and there. What sort of medical apps are currently available, and how can these little bits of programming possibly help save your life?

The Benefits of Medical Apps

What sort of benefit can these medically-focused applications have for your life? More than you might think, according to the experts. Even if your apps can’t offer medical advice, they can keep you on track, keep you connected to your doctor between visits and even make it easier for caregivers to take care of their loved ones.

A whopping 93 percent of doctors believe that the use of mobile applications could help improve the health of their patients. Fitness apps can help you keep track of your workouts, nutrition and weight loss. Heart rate monitors can be used for exercise applications or to keep track of heart patients. One app can even be used to detect sleep apnea events in patients who suffer from this condition.

Staying connected with your doctor is just as important — but it can be difficult to do that in the traditional manner. Mobile healthcare gives doctors the option to contact their patients remotely, allowing them to keep in touch with their primary care physician easily between appointments.

We’re just starting to realize the benefits that medical mobile apps can offer. Let’s take a look at the best medical apps currently available that could help save your life.

Good RX

If you’ve got good insurance, you often don’t need to worry about whether or not you can afford your prescriptions. For those without insurance, it can be a difficult decision.

GoodRX is an app designed to make that decision a little easier. Simply input your medications, including dosage, how many pills are prescribed and your location — the app does the rest, collecting prices from local pharmacies to help you find the most cost-effective place to purchase your medications. For some prescriptions, the app has manufacturer coupon information to make it even more cost-effective.

Red Cross First Aid

Do you know what to do if you’re ever in a situation where someone nearby is bleeding, has broken a bone or has started having a seizure? Even if you are Red Cross certified in first aid, it can be hard to remember all the proper procedures for any given situation.

The Red Cross First Aid app can help with that, guiding you through a variety of different scenarios you might encounter during your day. It also has information for how to respond to various natural disasters. This app might not save your life, but it could help you save someone else’s — or at least help you stabilize them until emergency services can arrive.

Doctor on Demand

Telemedicine is a growing field, allowing doctors to diagnose and treat patients remotely. Doctor on Demand allows you to get in touch with licensed medical professionals in minutes, via your cell phone.

Connect with a physician to help with your flu symptoms or a psychologist if you need someone to talk to. The only downside is that you’re not able to choose your doctor, and it does have a fee — $40 for a 15-minute call. It can be great in a pinch, but costly in the long run.

Round Health

One of the hardest things to do to keep up with your health is to remember to take your medication. Even if you take it at the same time every day, one little upset to your schedule can make things more difficult. Round Health is designed to let you set windows to help you remember to take all of your medications at their proper time. It’s easy to use, user-friendly and free, though it is only available for iOS devices.

Making Medicine Simpler One App at a Time

Medical apps can help make medicine a little bit simpler, whether you’re trying to bandage a wound or get in touch with a doctor on short notice. As more of these apps get adopted, we’ll be able to see the changing shape of medicine right before our eyes.