Currently, with the massive use of smartphones and the ability to download applications onto them, these devices are useful for solving a large number of users' IT-related needs. Many of these can substantially improve people's quality of life by allowing access to information related to healthcare topics, in addition to being a useful tool that can help in controlling diseases, for example, diabetes, hypertension, or reminding one to take medication, among many others that will facilitate health management. For this reason, we show you some of the applications that can help you improve and monitor your health.
Social Diabetes: this application is specially designed for patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus, and its objective is to control associated risks by adjusting the amount of insulin required in relation to the food consumed. It has a database with information on a large number of foods and how many carbohydrates are equivalent to each of these, thus avoiding nocturnal hypoglycemia, which is highly dangerous for diabetics. It also has a social network where you can share and receive information from other users regarding tips, experiences, and more.
Medisafe Medication Reminder: The misuse and waste of medication is one of the main causes of poisoning in many people and also represents a waste of resources. This application allows you to set a reminder to take your medications and supplements at the indicated time, even if the device is inactive. You can share reports of your progress to be sent to your medical team through a visual report, and it offers the possibility of synchronizing the pillboxes of the entire family group into a single account, sending you a reminder of when you need to refill or restock them.
iCare Health Monitor: this is an application that allows you to measure your blood pressure, heart rate, lung capacity, psychological indicators, and visual acuity through your smartphone by using a wave across the phone screen, where the user only needs to place their index finger on the phone's rear camera, ensuring it is completely covered and holding it there until the exam is performed. After collecting the data, the application is capable of generating daily statistics to predict trends and provide alerts regarding the user's health risks. The most interesting thing about this application is that it does not require additional applications or tools to perform such exams.
Pequefarmacia: if you are worried about the correct dosage of a medication for your child and do not know how to calculate it according to their weight, this application allows you to calculate the indicated dose simply by entering the child's weight in kilograms or by entering the dose recommended by the pediatrician. It features a database of a large number of medications that are commonly recommended for children, providing you with all the information on the medication of interest, such as its description, instructions for use, recommended intake, contraindications, and precautions. You can set alarms to remind you when to administer the medication, which syncs with your mobile phone's calendar.
Diana Londoño
Pharmaceutical Chemist
University of Antioquia