Top medical apps to reduce misdiagnosis risk

Top medical apps to reduce misdiagnosis risk

According to the latest statistics, around 12 million people get a wrong medical diagnosis every year.  That means you’re likely to receive at least one misdiagnosis in your life, so let’s hope the error isn’t a serious one.Unfortunately, some medical mistakes have extremely serious consequences.  They are believed to impact significantly on patient death rates in hospitals, with 10 percent of hospital deaths and 17 percent of “adverse events” thought to relate to medical mistakes.

Every medic knows that diagnosing your patient correctly is at the heart of good health care. Subsequent care and treatment decisions all follow from this initial diagnosis. If a medical professional gets the diagnosis wrong, it could lead to treatment delays, inappropriate treatment or lack of treatment.  Tragic consequences could result, not only physically, but also psychologically and financially.

Technology has the potential to be a game-changer in this field. Here we give you just a few of the most popular medical apps to reduce misdiagnosis risk:

WebMD: mobile medical information and symptoms checker

This comprehensive online medical app gives you access to an encyclopaedia of information on medical conditions, medicines and medical terms.  It has a suite of tools to support medical decisions, including a useful symptom checker, key first aid information, a list of local health care providers as well as facts on drug treatments for different conditions.

iTriage: manages all steps in the medical process

Without accurate diagnosis, a medication mistake is almost inevitable. iTriage prevents misdiagnosis with its own managed Symptom to Provider pathway. This app guides you through each step of the medical process, from searching for your symptoms, to finding the best treatment and the most appropriate doctor to provide it. The tool even sets up appointments for you if it has a link with the provider. It is integrated with your own Personal Health Record, linking up key information to make sure the full picture is available to your health care provider.

Track My Medical Records: records your medical history

Research demonstrates that patients who take an active role in their own health care by tracking and monitoring their own medical history achieve better outcomes.  Recording your medical conditions and treatments reduces the risk of missing anything important. When the doctor has all the information, they are much more likely to diagnose a condition correctly.

Safety Guidelines

It goes without saying that these apps can’t take the place of consultation with a registered physician.  And that’s not their intent.  The purpose of any healthcare technology is to complement the work of doctors. Legal experts support medical apps when used in this way. The UK medical law firm Patient Claim Line makes this point when they state the purpose of medical apps “is to make the patient much better informed and to ask the doctor much better questions, so together they can do a much better job avoiding medical errors”.

PatientClaimLine’s experience in medical malpractice law has made them strong advocates of safe health app use.  Their tips for safe use of medical apps include:

• Never use an app as a substitute for advice from your doctor
• Stay clear of apps that give advice other than seeing a doctor
• Use information you find on the app to help you prepare for your medical visit
• Ensure you also record your symptoms and questions somewhere they can’t be deleted
• Remember that these tips also apply to fitness apps as well

The best medical apps complement your doctor’s work

At the end of the day, misdiagnosis is caused by human error.  Preventing human error is where technology can truly find its place in medicine.  Technology doesn’t have the creativity, lateral thinking skills or emotional intelligence that human physicians need to use every day to have successful interactions with patients. But when doctors add the methodical accuracy and in-depth customisable tracking that technology brings, to their current suite of tools, the combination is formidable.  Doctors and medical apps working together can help eliminate medical mistakes and improve patient outcomes.