Mobile applications are not all just about games and news. There are tangible real world benefits that can be derived from apps. There are apps for banking and budgets, calendars and scheduling and keeping yourself healthy.
WebMD, one of the leading Internet health sites, has released a mobile application for Android. The app has been available on the iPhone since Oct., 2008 and the iPad since March, 2010 so it is about time that an Android version has finally come to the table. The app has a variety of features to keep users informed (and their health data safe) wherever they may be.
WebMD for Android is simple and intuitive. It has a symptom checker, condition look up, drugs and treatment search, first aid information and the ability to look up local health listings. There is a fun human body chart where you can tap the place that hurts and it will give you a list of possible ailments.
One of the biggest concerns people have when using the Web or mobile applications is the ability for people to somehow find out about their potentially embarrassing conditions. The terms of use and privacy policy for WebMD are very long and comprehensive. For the most part, the app will track non-personally identifiable information like cookies, search terms, application activity and generic personal stats like age and gender. Upon download the application creates a random application number that cannot be tracked to the user. WebMD is certified with a TRUSTe Privacy Seal.
The mobile industry and the health industries are on a collision course. Healthcare in its various vertical integrations (big pharma, insurance, hospitals, physicians etc.) is the biggest single sector of the economy in the United States. Mobile is one of the fastest growing sectors and is a driver of innovation. Doctors are using mobile devices to help them understand data, perform new techniques and look up prescription information on the fly. Consumers benefit from the array of health data that has become available in the Internet Age, anywhere they go. In the middle of the tropics and think you may have Brazilian Trypanosomiasis? There is an app for that.
WebMD for Android joins its sister application, Medscape (also available for iOS), designed for professional drug research and information created by WebMD. Other Android health applications include iTriage Mobile Health and the Essential First Aid Guide, among many others. Do a search for “health” or “medicine” on the Android Market and take a look around.
The iOS versions of WebMD have been downloaded five million times. It is currently not available for BlackBerry or Windows Phone except through the mobile browser.
