Three Swedish researchers recently published the world's first clinical study on the use of mobile applications for the treatment of depression. The researchers released a preview of the results to VentureBeat, and a whopping 73.5% of depression patients who used the application Viary, were considered to be depression-free by the end of the study. Major depression is expected to be the disorder with the highest disease burden (i.e. cost, mortality, impact on society) in high-income countries by the year 2030. Therefore, the researchers suggest that mobile applications can provide the market with a cost-effective solution for depression patients through behavior activation. For example, therapists could use smartphones to encourage behavior with patients between visits and less-experienced therapists could disseminate advanced techniques through the platform.

In this particular study, 81 people participated over an 8-week span. The participants hat to be, at a minimum, mildly depressed according to the Beck Depression Inventory Scale, which is a well-accepted measurement of depression among medical professionals. Most of the people in the study ended up being, at the least, moderately depressed. The participants were split into two groups, with one group using the behavior-change application Viary and the other using The Mindfulness app, which was not specifically designed to treat depression.

Viary, a Swedish application by Hoa's Toolshop, prompts users to perform behaviors that are known to counteract or relieve depression (e.g., cooking a meal, getting out of bed when the alarm clock rings). At the end of each week, participants would write about the positives and negatives of their week. The mean value on the Beck Depresion Inventory Scale was 25 when the study began and 13 when it concluded. A remarkable improvement in 8 weeks.

The Mindfulness App, created by MindApps, contains audio tracks that help the user attain stronger mindfulness. The meditation guru, Jon Kabat-Zinn, provides a laconic definition: "Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way; On purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally." While The Mindfulness App was not geared specifically at depression, mindfulness training has been a well-known treatment for depression. 53.1% of the participants saw relief using the application during the study; however, the researchers concluded that the result was partially explained by short interactions of the participants with a psychology student as well as the fact they were prompted to use the app every day.

It wouldn't be suprising to see more clinical studies for mHealth applications in the coming months, as a lack of verifiable efficacy claims has cauesd apprehension and skepticism from patients and regulators. Baased on the encouraging results of the Swedish research group, it will be interesting to see how mental health professionals will begin to adopt mobile treatment tools in their practices.

Are you a snooze-button specialist? Do you negotiate with yourself in the morning? “Yes, I’ll get up Mr. Alarm Clock but I’m not eating breakfast!” We know that many research studies have found that good sleep habits have a positive impact on motivation, mood, memory, judgment, and learning. We’ve all heard the ways to improve sleep – exercise, diet, bedtime habits, melatonin, abstaining from caffeine, etc.. While some research has indicated that overuse of technology negatively affects sleep, there has been an influx of mobile health applications aimed at helping people improve their sleep patterns. This post will examine two of the more innovative solutions on the market:

Zeo Sleep Manager

Zeo Sleep Manager takes the science of sleeping and brings it to your smartphone.  The application requires you to wear a $99 headband to bed that measures your brainwaves and translates them to the corresponding sleep stages (there is no way to look cool doing this, by the way). For example, brainwaves are slow in deep sleep, light sleep has varied activity, and REM sleep brainwaves are similar to those when you’re awake. The information is transmitted via Bluetooth to your smartphone and your alarm goes off at the optimum wake up time (within a 15-45 minute window that you choose). In Zeo-funded research, published in the Journal of Sleep Research, the Zeo Sleep Manager results were compared with polysomnography (PSG) measurements (which tracks breathing, heart rate, eye movement, brainwaves, muscle activities, and blood oxygen levels).  In the study, Zeo’s determination of sleep stages agreed with the PSG measurements ~75%. While Zeo could benefit from independent research validating their claims, their results are certainly promising.  In addition to monitoring brainwaves, Zeo also takes you through a 7-step program for improving your sleep and allows you to keep a sleep journal on their web site to monitor factors such as caffeine intake. 

Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock

At just $0.99, Sleep Cycle is a cheaper alternative to Zeo, and the reviews have been overwhelmingly positive, with a 4.5 star rating and attaining the #1 paid app rank in many countries.  Sleep Cycle is a bio-alarm clock that recognizes your sleep patterns and wakes you up when you are in a light sleep phase. The app requires you to place your iPhone underneath your pillow and the accelerometer recognizes motion while you are sleeping.  As you transition from light to deep sleep, your body moves differently and Sleep Cycle identifies the optimal waking time.  Similar to Zeo, users select a 30 minute window when they want to be woken up.

Will we ever come to a point where doctors are prescribing a visit to the app store instead of Ambien?

Want to go to the doctor? There’s an app for that.  Well, sort of.

Great Connection, a company that places X-rays and ultrasounds in the cloud, just launched a service called Mobile Baby. With support from Qualcomm, Mobile Baby allows doctors to perform remote diagnostics on pregnant women. Pilot programs have begun in Saudi Arabia, Sweden, and Egypt.  In many foreign countries, maternity clinics are not staffed with full-time doctors, and midwives do not have the authority to diagnose.  For example, Egypt has one doctor for every 1,900 people while the United States have one doctor for every 400 people. Mobile Baby could have a profound impact on rural communities with limited access to medical care.

Ultrasounds and X-rays are stored in proprietary medical image formats that are understood by Great Connection’s software, and personal information such as social security numbers are encrypted and authenticated. The reach of mobile ultrasound extends past maternity medical issues, as the technology can be used at accident scenes to determine if there is internal bleeding, thus necessitating an immediate transfusion.

On February 4^th, the FDA approved the first diagnostic radiology application for mobile devices in the United States, titled Mobile MIM. Mobile MIM allows doctors to measure distances on medical images, make annotations, and transmit the information back to a hospital or into medical records.  The FDA evaluated the image luminance, resolution, and noise, and determined that it met international standards. The application works on the iPhone and iPad, and it will be available in 14 languages and 34 countries.