The growth of mobile health apps for consumers documented in the report by IMS Institute of Healthcare Informatics also includes behavioral health apps. The research institute assembled a helpful breakdown of the more than 18,000 consumer facing mobile health apps. It identified 558 mental health apps. The report also provides an outlook on the future of mobile health technology and has some ideas about the role of apps.
There are about 196 autism apps, 96 for anxiety and 58 for depression. One example of an autism app is AutisMate, a communication tool that uses images in a house to help users tell a story. The Autism Society estimates that 1.5 million people in the U.S. have autism spectrum disorder.
Behavioral health apps are also among the most expensive, according to the report. They account for about half of the 23 apps priced at more than $100 and 12 of those are for autism. Most of these are to improve communication for speech and provide pre-recorded messages. the report said.
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Other examples of behavioral health apps include Recovery Record, an app designed to help people with eating disorders with therapist and patient facing apps to manage the cognitive disorder.
The IMS Health report also provided a breakdown of apps that have targeted different parts of the “patient journey.” For example, it counted 225 apps for adherence, 304 are symptom checkers and a whopping 931 for finding a physician.
But where’s the unmet need? Despite the fact that the aging baby boomer population has the biggest healthcare costs and is more likely to have chronic conditions, adults aged 65 years and older are also least likely to use apps. About 18 percent own a smartphone and of those, only eight percent have downloaded an app.
IMS Health sees a big market opportunity to change these dynamics and respond to unmet needs in this area. It points out that arthritis is the most common cause of disability, but only 11 apps target rheumatoid arthritis. Only five apps target osteoarthritis. It would therefore appear that there is still unmet need in these therapy areas.
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It reasons that apps for the most disabling chronic conditions such as cancer, stroke and arthritis could:
- Provide information for optimal condition management;
- Track patient health levels over time (and record improvements in well-being or condition);
- Help patients communicate with caregivers or other patients for motivation and the sharing of best condition management.
The report also highlighted some challenges to mobile health app development. After appraising the apps, it concluded that relatively few do enough to give them value to users. It evaluated apps based on criteria such as providing information in formats such as text, video, images, helping users capture entered data, providing guidance, offering reminders and communicating with patients or providing links to social networks.
If we are ever to get to a point at which healthcare professionals would prescribe apps, it recommends that app developers take a more scientific approach to proving their worth. It highlighted WellDoc as a good example of a company that conducted randomized clinical trials to generate data to support its diabetes app platform.
On the other hand, few app developers would be willing to invest the time and money in this effort. Were that to become common practice, there would definitely be a significant consolidation of the mhealth app market. Judging by the number of “me too” apps out there, that may not be such a bad thing.
