There are already tens of thousands of mobile health applications
Available for download on smart phones and tablets, allowing consumers to do anything from count calories to monitor their blood sugar level and fight depression.
But it can be hard to know which ones actually deliver on their health claims and provide accurate information with promises like this.
“Did you know that your phone can help you lose weight? Weight loss apps can help you shed pounds simply by counting calories.”
The Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA), which was signed into law, set up a commission of several government agencies to come up with a proposed strategy for regulating mobile health apps.
Our Government has created an office of mobile health within the FDA to handle the booming industry of health apps. Mobile health apps are a quickly growing sector, regardless of attempts to regulate them.
By 2015, 500 million smartphone users are expected to be using health apps, according to Research2Guidance, a global mobile research group.