The Growing Influence of Technology in Healthcare
In a society where information is king and time is a commodity, it should come as no surprise that we are all turning to health apps to monitor our physical and mental health. With many health apps built into cell phones and tablets, users can easily monitor steps and activity, make doctor’s appointments and even meditate. This can be done instantly from the comfort of your own home and often without any effort, which would have been unthinkable a decade ago.
However, with such a vast selection of apps, it may be hard to narrow down which health apps to download and which have the staying power to keep you logged in and monitoring your health and fitness daily.
Let’s discover some of the best and most exciting apps on the market.
Fitness and Activity Tracking Apps
Fitbit
Fitbit is one of the most well-known fitness apps on the market. Fitbit devices such as watches or clip-on trackers can be synced with the app to record steps, distance, burned calories, heart rate, and sleep patterns. The app can customize activity goals, and workouts are available for every user. Fitbit also encourages its users with fun fitness challenges to compete against other users.
Strava
Strava is a hugely popular cycling and running program with professional and amateur athletes. It is famous for its extensive activity tracking features and social features. The application uses GPS to monitor outdoor activities, including duration, rate, altitude, and route. Users of Strava can set goals, compete against friends or other athletes, and participate in personal or group challenges. Additionally, it offers users insights into performance data and lets them share their triumphs and personal bests on social media.
Nutrition and Diet Management Apps
MyFitnessPal
MyFitnessPal is a popular choice for those who wish to monitor their calorie intake and exercise. Users can track their food intake, activity, and water consumption for a comprehensive overview of their physical health.
While there is no official device to sync with the app, the app does offer an extensive food database for calorie counting, goal-setting, and creating customized meal plans.
MyFitnessPal gives you a thorough health and fitness perspective and can be paired easily with other apps on your smartphone or tablet.
Noom
Noom is a holistic weight loss and wellness app highly publicized on social media, combining nutrition tracking, behavior change techniques, and lifestyle coaching.
Users can log food and calorie intake, and there are daily lessons and fun quizzes to provide you with insight and encourage mindful nutrition so that you can make long-lasting lifestyle changes.
Weight loss is never linear, and Noom has a supportive community to celebrate losses, offer support, and individual one-to-one coaching.
Mental Health and Wellness Apps
Headspace
Headspace is one of the most widely recognized meditation and mindfulness apps and for a good reason. It offers a variety of guided meditation sessions for different situations. It can help with stress reduction, sleep improvement, and focus enhancement. The app provides techniques for mindfulness and relaxation, along with features like meditation reminders and progress tracking.
BetterHelp
BetterHelp is an online counseling and therapy platform connecting users with licensed therapists through text, audio, or video. It can be difficult finding a therapist to suit you. Still, BetterHelp overcomes this by providing a convenient and accessible way to seek professional mental health support with different specialisms to suit you. Users can communicate with their therapists on a secure platform, schedule sessions, and access resources for self-improvement.
Symptom Checkers and Virtual Consultation Apps
Ada
Ada uses artificial intelligence to provide personalized health assessments. While you may feel like you are talking to a robot, it allows users to check their symptoms, offers potential causes, and recommends next steps, such as self-care advice on seeking medical attention. Ada also offers virtual consultations with healthcare professionals in certain regions.
Amwell
Amwell (formerly American Well) connects users with licensed healthcare professionals for virtual consultations. The app allows users to have video visits with doctors, therapists, and other healthcare providers, offering convenient and timely access to medical advice, diagnosis, and treatment. Users can schedule appointments, share their medical history, and discuss their concerns with healthcare professionals through secure video calls at a time that suits them.
Medication Management Apps
Medisafe
Medisafe helps users track and manage their medications. It allows users to set reminders, identify drugs, and notifications for prescription refills. The app is also a great source of information, providing medication interaction alerts, medication adherence reports, and also allows users to share medication information with healthcare providers or caregivers.
MyTherapy
MyTherapy helps individuals manage their medications, track symptoms, and maintain a health journal to share with healthcare professionals.
The app creates medication reminders, including dosage instructions and refill reminders. It can even remind you when to reorder your CBD oils at Premium Jane! Users can track their medication intake and see if they missed any days. The app also allows users to record symptoms, add notes, and generate reports to share with healthcare professionals.
Conclusion
The healthcare industry has been dramatically transformed by technology, resulting in a huge variety of apps that are soon becoming vital for health monitoring and management. These apps have made it easier for people to take charge of their physical and mental health when time and resources are limited.
Integrating technology into healthcare through health apps has completely changed how individuals approach and manage their health, giving them instant access to medical help and tracking their own personal progress. These apps have provided convenient and accessible tools for fitness tracking, nutrition management, mental well-being, symptom checking, virtual consultations, and medication adherence.
Health apps empower individuals to actively monitor and manage their health, leading to improved overall well-being and a more informed population – all at the click of a button! With the continued advancement of technology, we can only imagine the incredible innovations that are just around the corner that will further revolutionize healthcare and contribute to a healthier and happier society!