[NYTimes] An App That Saved 10,000 Lives

[NYTimes]

An App That Saved 10,000 Lives

Start-ups are increasingly looking to the principles of behavioral psychology to encourage behaviors and return visits. And those principles have helped HealthTap increase the number of users and doctors on the site.


http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/05...r-doctors/

[mama95]

Thanks for the info NYT. I'm a bit skeptical though. I think of the million lives saved by doctors who perform serious "interviews" with a patient. But it's nice to have a second diagnostic. Not a good idea AT ALL to replace a real doctor with an app imho.

[GizBeat]

Thanks for the info NYT. I'm a bit skeptical though. I think of the million lives saved by doctors who perform serious "interviews" with a patient. But it's nice to have a second diagnostic. Not a good idea AT ALL to replace a real doctor with an app imho.

Hmmm.... I can see your point here Mama, but there's something to be said for collaboration. It's not just one doctor looking at a patient's symptoms, it's hundreds, possibly thousands.

Is the app a good replacement for a GOOD doctor performing appropriate tests? Probably not.

But if your doctor is just run of the mill or lackadaisical, not performing the appropriate tests, or not interpreting the data properly, or if he/she just plain can't figure it out, I'd say this app could come in handy.

Another point is that some people don't have the dough or a proper insurance plan to cover hundreds or possibly thousands of dollars in tests and doctor's fees. So the app could maybe give some good insight based on reported symptoms alone as to what might possibly be wrong prior to spending all that dough on diagnostic tests.