Basic concepts of Consumer Health Informatics

Numerous consumer healthcare apps are in use all over the world. The advantages of using the devices include, but are not limited to, clinical outcomes such as decreased medical errors and improved quality, organizational outcomes primarily related to operational and financial outcomes, and societal outcomes such as improved population health, lower costs, and enhanced capacity for conducting research. However, the majority of applications depend on signals, deny users the ability to enter multiple commands in a single string, overlook some health requirements, and do not permit appropriate provider-user interaction, which restricts their use by healthcare providers. MyFitnessPal is currently the world’s largest online consumer healthcare application used by more than 65 million people to measure and manage their weight loss (Anon, 2017). The app is an easy-to-use site that allows users to track their diet, weight gain or loss, and the amount of water consumed hence improving their health and wellbeing. The system also helps users to track exercises and nutrients important to them hence improving their health and fitness.

Gibbons et al. (2009) define CHI as a field that analyzes consumers’ need for information, makes such information accessible to consumers, and incorporates consumer or patients’ preferences into the medical information applications. MyFitnessPal is a widely used CHI to help people improve their health and wellbeing (Anon, 2017). However, some of the app’s features need further improvement not only to meet the CHI criterion but also enhance the system’s utility by healthcare providers.

First and foremost, MyFitnessPal provides information about weight loss, diet, nutrition, and aerobics. According to Anon (2017), users can access a wide range of information regarding nutrients they can get from various foods and the number of calories one can lose by engaging in a particular physical activity. The app contains mostly preferred types of foods and aerobics. Indeed, users do not require healthcare professionals to help them choose what to eat or aerobics to do (Anon, 2017). Therefore, MyFitnessPal helps users to improve and maintain their health and well-being by providing them with valuable information and guidance. AMIA (2017) suggests that all the field labels on a CHI be brief and descriptive. Myfitnesspal meets this criterion where all the field labels on it are not only brief and descriptive but also familiar. Moreover, the menu titles are brief but long enough to communicate to users (Anon, 2017). Most importantly, both novice and expert users can understand the commands and navigate they system without many challenges.

However, the app has some weaknesses that need improvement to make the system useful by dietitians and other healthcare providers. First thing, the system does not interact intensively with users. For example, the app does not allow users to enter multiple commands at the same time on the same icon. Gibbons et al. (2009) and Nelson and Ball (2004) recommend that a CHI allows users to exchange views and get feedback on the platform. This might not be possible if the system does not allow users to combine commands. Moreover, a user might need to combine certain foods and exercises. However, such functions are not available on the app.

The other barrier to interaction is that the app does not allow novice users to enter common forms of command and expert users choose their preferred parameters (Gibbons et al., 2009). As a result, people with little knowledge might not understand the data and information. Moreover, the system does not allow users to define their synonyms for commands or show detailed error messages. Therefore, novice users who provide their health information might not be able to interact well with the system. LeRouge and Wickramasinghe (2013) suggest that an electronic healthcare system allows consumers to provide personal health information to it and receive personalized health information from the system. Myfitnesspal app only contains information where users can only choose and not enter personalized information.

Nevertheless, the information provided to the users can be shared with healthcare professionals. For example, if a user wants to lose some calories by jogging and the system recommends 15 minutes jogging for 1 week to lose 110 calories, the user can consult a healthcare provider regarding the potential impact of losing such weight in a week. In other words, although user health information is not dependent on the healthcare provider, the user still needs guidance from the healthcare professional.

The information the app generates can also be used with healthcare providers in some ways. For example, healthcare professionals can ask patients to enter their dietary information into the MyFitnessPal website or mobile app. The professionals can then access the information and advise the user accordingly. For example, the dietitian can advise users especially novice users on the type of food or duration of a particular exercise they need to stay healthy. Moreover, different types of food provide similar nutrients and users might not be able to browse through all the food categories on the app. Nonetheless, the dietitian can help users to save time by suggesting the best types of foods and aerobics.

Healthcare providers can also use the MyFitnessPal as a communication tool between them and patients. For example, the app has a ‘help’ icon where users can post their concerns and questions. Providers can respond to the questions and chat with the users about their progress. Patients can then use the feedback to make necessary adjustment thus improve their health and wellbeing (Winckler, Forbrig, Bernhaupt, 2012). Providers can also offer counseling via the platform hence ensuring that users maintain their health and well-being after treatment.

However, the communication and subsequent use of the app to feed data into the electronic health records might not possible before addressing various barriers. First thing, the app should be redesigned to enable it to operate without relying on signals. For example, a user might need urgent feedback from a health care provider. However, h/she cannot get assistance if there is no signal. Enabling the app to operate without relying on signals will allow providers to communicate with the patients efficiently anytime. The app also needs improvements to include other health needs and enable health care providers and users to enter multiple commands in a single string. Such changes will make the system more useful.

In conclusion, MyFitnessPal is one of the widely used electronic health applications. Overweight people can use the system to choose appropriate dietary, aerobics, and monitor their progress in terms of body weight gain or lose. However, the app is not currently used in health care centers due to a number of barriers. First thing, the system relies on signals which might fail from time to time. In addition, the system does not allow users to enter multiple commands at the same time. The system needs improvements to make it useful without relying on signals. Designers should also improve the app to allow users to enter multiple commands using the language they understand to facilitate interaction between healthcare providers and patients.

References

AMIA. (2017). Consumer health informatics. Retrieved from https://www.amia.org/applications-informatics/consumer-health-informatics

Anon. (2017). Lose weight with MyFitnessPal. Retrieved from https://www.myfitnesspal.com/

Gibbons, M. C., Wilson, R. F., Samal, L., Lehmann, C. U., Dickersin, K., Lehmann, H. P. & Bass, E. B. (2009). Impact of consumer health informatics applications. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK32643/

LeRouge, C., & Wickramasinghe, N. (2013). A review of user-centered design for diabetes- related consumer health informatics technologies. Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology, 7(4), 1039-1056.

Menachemi, N., & Collum, T. H. (2011). Benefits and drawbacks of electronic health record systems. Risk Manag Healthc Policy, 4, 47-55.

Nelson, R., & Ball, M. J. (2004). Consumer Informatics: Applications and strategies in cyber health care. New York, NY: Springer New York.

Winckler, M., Forbrig, P., Bernhaupt, R. (2012). Human-centred software engineering: 4th international conference, HCSE 2012, Toulouse, France, October 29-31, 2012: proceedings. Berlin: Springer.