Is there an opportunity for mobile health apps ?

I keep hearing about how mobile is “set to explode” for brands and marketers but is this true for health ?   The answer to that it depends if pharma can really deliver on the promise of mobile applications for health which means putting users first.

Capitalizing on the potential of mobile marketing requires an understanding of the nine fundamental principles that define the platform: location, goal orientation, attentiveness, killing time, ASAP/urgency, taking my time, passion, routine and trust.  More importantly it requires an understanding of why patients/consumers would want to download and use a mobile health app.

There are two primary reasons why patients would download a health app; to help them manage a health condition and stay healthy or to get more information on a particular health condition.  What I have found is that there is a fine line between helping patients manage their health via mobile and being intrusive and reminding them that they are different.

However since 80% of all health apps are deleted within 10 days of downloading we are seeing that most health apps are not developed and tested with the user in mind.  This by far was the biggest reason for health apps going into the trash.

If a patient has just received an Rx for a drug and wants more information they can go to the products website for more information but to help them manage their health apps can excel.  Type 1 diabetics for example are finding new ways to manage their diabetes with integrated medical devices that talk to smartphones. But in order to make health apps really user friendly they have to be easy to use and understand.

According to Nielsen 14% of consumers use mobile health apps but the potential is for close to 50%.

Mobile application development is not easy. It requires, in most cases, FDA approval and more importantly a strategic plan to ensure the apps remain updated with the latest health information and that they can work on new mobile OS’s.  This means that pharma has to find a vendor that can comply with FDA draft guidelines.  The vendor also has to use design control to validate and ensure the software complies with the FDA.  There aren’t many vendors who can do this right now and in fact I have found that they are far and few.

The best thing that pharma can do right now is to ensure that their product and disease state websites work on mobile devices as most of them do not.  They need to understand why people are coming to their sites and where and ensure that the online brand health experience is a good one.