Digital health literacy in cardiovascular research

The authors do a nice job of highlighting the opportunities and challenges of using mobile health applications in cardiovascular research [ [1] Sarwar C.M.S. Vaduganathan M. Anker S.D. Coiro S. Papadimitriou L. Saltz J. Schoenfeld E.R. Clark R.L. Dinh W. Kramer F. Gheorghiade M. Fonarow G.C. Butler J. Mobile health applications in cardiovascular research.. Int. J. Cardiol. 2018; 269: 197-203 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (18) Google Scholar ]. We believe the question is not can or should mobile health applications be used in cardiovascular research, but rather, how can they be used more effectively, so that they can achieve the basic promise that technology can be used to achieve better health outcomes. The takeaway is that while mobile health applications hold a lot of promise, there is very little evidence that this promise can be fulfilled. While many of the benefits described by the authors focus on monitoring of biometric and self-reported data, we believe that mobile health applications can be an effective intervention with patients to help them manage their health condition, navigate the healthcare system, communicate more effectively with their healthcare team, and ultimately make good, well informed decisions about their health. Mobile health applications in cardiovascular researchInternational Journal of CardiologyVol. 269PreviewCardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity globally. With widespread and growing use of smart phones and mobile devices, the use of mobile health (mHealth) in transmission of physiologic parameters and patient-referred symptoms to healthcare providers and researchers, as well as reminders and care plan applications from providers to patients, has potential to revolutionize both clinical care and the conduct of clinical trials with improved designs, data capture, and potentially lower costs. Full-Text PDF