Synopsis for Health Apps

Abstract

Unfortunately, many users are unaware of the risks and limits that arise from the use of health-related and medical apps in a medical context. Often, problems arise from insufficient, misleading, or false information, but they also arise from errors within the app or inappropriate hardware that is used for running the app. Provided information is often inadequate to enable users to assess whether a medical or health app is reliable and safe. Laws and regulations that are meant to provide consumer safety (for patients and medical professionals alike) only apply to a limited number of apps with a specific medical purpose. For non-regulated apps used in a health context, there are various projects and initiatives, for example relating to app certification, but not all of these provide the information they collect about an app in a comprehensible and verifiable manner. The app synopsis presented in this chapter aims at alleviating the situation. The authors propose that manufacturers and developers use its clear structure for providing users with information about an app, ideally in a place where they commonly look (e.g. the app stores).