An app a day: Smartphones as health tools

"There's an app for that" may have surpassed "Can you hear me now?" as the saying of the year, pushed forward, no doubt, by the universe of smartphone and tablet applications available to help you monitor your health.

More than 8,000 medical apps, or software programs, exist for the iPhone alone, with plenty more on the market for other kinds of smartphones as well as tablets like the iPad. Health-related software of course has long been available for laptop and desktop computers.

You can buy apps to monitor blood pressure, track food intake and remind you of doctor appointments. They'll even record your snores.

However, though apps can provide helpful information about your health, apps "shouldn't be a substitute for medical advice," cautioned Dr. Alan S. Katz, a cardiologist and vice president for medical informatics at Catholic Health Services of Long Island.

Dr. Steven J. Walerstein, executive vice president for medical affairs and medical director for the NuHealth-Nassau University Medical Center, agrees. "They're not replacements or substitutes for having a physician," he said. "They're an aid or a complement. It's a severe mistake to use them as your primary source for medical decision-making."

So what should you use apps for? Walerstein said they're especially useful as educational aids and tools to monitor changes in your health.

Apps can help people learn about their conditions at their own speed, he said, in contrast to the hurried pace of a medical appointment. And, as monitoring tools, apps allow you to carefully track statistics such as weight, blood pressure and glucose levels.

"If you use an app in conjunction with your physician, they can be invaluable aids when there is a chronic medical condition in which a piece of data needs to be followed," Walerstein said.

However, he said, take time to make sure that your app's numbers are accurate. If an app records your blood pressure, for instance, visit your doctor's office to confirm that the data is correct.

Soon, patients who use the hospitals and physicians affiliated with Catholic Health Services of Long Island will be able to use an app -- or a website, if they prefer -- to contact their doctor's office, get prescriptions refilled and see laboratory test results, said Marcy Dunn, the group's vice president and chief information officer.

But as you use health apps, be careful to not fall victim to information overload or preoccupation with health statistics. "Even before apps, we've seen patients become obsessive about blood pressure and blood sugar," Walerstein said.

A sampling of health apps

These apps are available for the iPhone and phones that use the Android operating system. For iPhone apps, search the App Store or use the iTunes Store software. You can find Android apps at market.android.com/apps.

TO LEARN ABOUT MEDICAL TOPICS

iPharmacy (99 cents) offers details about medications, helps you identify mystery pills and directs you to local pharmacies.

The Merck Manual -- Home Edition ($9.99) is based on the Merck Manual Home Health Handbook, a respected reference.

Medical Dictionary (99 cents) has definitions for more than 128,000 words.

FOR HEALTH EMERGENCIES

The ICE (In Case of Emergency) app (99 cents) stores information on emergency contacts, health insurance, allergies, your doctors and more for easy access by emergency personnel. (Android)

First Aid (free) offers advice, augmented by videos and illustrations, on dealing with medical emergencies. (Android)

TO MONITOR YOUR OWN HEALTH

The Withings company offers a blood pressure cuff that monitors your blood pressure with the help of an iPhone or similar Apple device. ($129 at withings.com)

Many apps, such as Blood Pressure ($1.99, iPhone), allow you to monitor your blood pressure, but you must type in the information.

Diabetes Buddy ($4.99) allows you to closely track your blood sugar, diet, blood pressure, weight and more. (iPhone)

Vision Test (free) checks your eyesight by producing eye charts on your iPhone screen.

My Medications (99 cents), an iPhone app developed by the American Medical Association, allows users to store and email crucial medical information about their conditions, medications and allergies as well as contact information for doctors and other health care professionals.

Lose It (free for iPhone and Android) lets you track your food intake, plan menus and monitor your exercise.

Aesop (99 cents) tracks contractions during labor, allowing women to monitor their length and how often they occur. (iPhone)