Time to develop a healthy appetite for apps

Many of the latest apps are geared towards helping you get healthier. Here are some of the best, writes CLAIRE O'CONNELL

In recent years the smartphone has brought “apps” into everyday life – software applications that can run on mobile devices and make it easier to get and use information on the move.

Plenty of apps have health in mind, and some even have people in Ireland in mind, too.

We look at some free apps for the iPhone (and iPad) that could put good health or information in easier reach.

UPMC Beacon – Finding your way to a hospital visit

Preparing for a hospital visit can be tricky, particularly if it’s your first time going to that hospital or having that procedure.

Earlier this year UPMC Beacon Hospital in Sandyford, Co Dublin, brought out an app to help people using the hospital’s services find information easily.

“We wanted something simple – our hospital at your fingertips,” says Paula Mullen, director of corporate affairs at UPMC Beacon Hospital.

“We have quite an elaborate website that has been developed over the past five years, and people can go onto it for information, like videos of procedures. But we also wanted something that would be simple to access for GPs, patients and family members.”

The free app offers information about the kinds of services available at the hospital and practical details such as contact numbers and directions to get there. It also has a facility to remind you when an appointment is coming up.

“We didn’t want to make it the website on an app, that’s not what it’s about, so we reduced the information to byte-sized form,” says Mullen. “I think the best apps are the ones that are easy to use.”

[ itunes.apple.com/ie/app/upmcbeacon/ id509168155?mt=8 ]

Aviva Health Mate – Come run with me

Running can get a bit boring when you pound the same track over and over again. Aviva’s Health Mate app offers a few ways to shake things up.

For one thing, it has more than 100 pre-loaded walking and running routes in Ireland.

Plus the pedometer app can automatically track your progress, meaning users can evaluate how their health and fitness is improving or areas that may still need work, explains Kate Candon, marketing manager with Aviva Health Insurance.

“With Health Mate you can calculate your BMI and track your progress as you work on your fitness,” she says.

“[The app] also has a multimedia centre that promotes a fun, uninterrupted workout set to great music and a direct link to Facebook, so you can publish your fitness milestones online.”

Now you just have to tie your laces and get moving.

[ avivahealth.ie/whats-new/aviva-news/health-mate-from-aviva-is/index.xml ]

Irish Kidney Association – Donating information

Organ donation is one of those things you might think about, but maybe you don’t know how to get a donor card or even how to raise the topic with the loved ones who need to know about your wishes.

That’s where the Organ Donor Ecard app developed by the Irish Kidney Association (IKA) can help.

The free app has a fact file on organ and tissue donation and transplantation as well as frequently asked questions so that an individual can make an informed decision about organ donation, explains Colin White, national projects manager at the IKA.

“Traditionally, organ donor cards have been available in doctors’ surgeries, pharmacies and other outlets,” he says.

“It has always been clear that there is strong public support for organ donation in Ireland but many people had not actually picked up an organ donor card and discussed it with their family.”

Launched in March 2010, the app is designed to help make family members aware of the individual’s wishes too, notes White. “Rather than leaving it to chance, we built in the facility for the app to send a text message to the designated next of kin.”

[ itunes.apple.com/ie/app/organ-donor-ecard/id423238225?mt=8 ]

Asthma Coach – A personal tracker in your pocket

About 450,000 people in Ireland have asthma, and keeping symptoms under control by avoiding triggers and taking inhalers as prescribed is key to managing the condition, according to the Asthma Society of Ireland.

That’s why the society is bringing out a new app called Asthma Coach.

As well as offering information about asthma, the Asthma Coach app lets users track their own metrics such as peak flow, and it can offer feedback about how they are doing through a visual code of red, orange and green.

Plus it gives updates about the pollen count and weather conditions, which can be useful if those are triggers for allergies or asthma.

There’s also a section in case of emergency that includes the “five-step rule” to apply if a person is having an asthma attack and the option to dial 999: anyone can quickly access that information through the app if help is needed, there’s no need to enter a password.

Initially the app was developed to encourage teenagers to become more aware of asthma and to monitor their own condition, but anyone can use it, explains Anne Kearney, head of operations at the Asthma Society of Ireland.

And for those who don't have an iPhone, a mobile web version of the app will be available through the website asthma.ie