This post is authored by John J. Ryan, MD, FACC, member of the ACC’s Informatics and Health Information Technology (IT) Task Force.

With the ubiquitous presence of tablets and smartphones, mobile applications (apps) have penetrated deep into the world of medicine, and in particular have already made an impact in cardiology. However, only 16 percent of people will go back to use an app for a third time. Therefore before I download an app, I want to see what role it will fill in my clinical toolbox. The main questions I ask myself are 1) will the app help educate my patients and 2) will the app help me with my work?

There are a couple of apps out there that do satisfy those two roles. One of the best known is the AliveCor Heart Monitor. The AliveCor is as a non-continuous, patient-triggered event monitor that can be useful if a patient comes into clinic for palpitations and can be prescribed instead of a holter. It does however require a $200 device. Other potential uses include post-ablation of atrial fibrillation and even perhaps QTc monitoring.

More recently, the ACC launched the ASCVD Risk Estimator app based on the 2013 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Assessment of Cardiovascular Risk and the 2013 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Treatment of Blood Cholesterol to Reduce Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Risk in Adults. The ASCVD Risk Estimator provides an estimate of 10-year and lifetime risks for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) using the Pooled Cohort Equations and lifetime risk prediction tools. Although the guidelines are not without controversy, the app is very useful to discuss with patients about the nature of cardiovascular risk and the benefits of risk modification.

In general, good medical apps empower and educate patients and involve them more in their care and decision making. When this is done properly in a language that patients and their families understand, it makes our jobs a lot easier.

The ACC’s Informatics and Health IT Task Force has developed a series of Mobile App Reviews to help providers adopt tools that optimize patient care. Current categories include Patient Education apps, Manuscript Writing Assistance apps, Protected Health Information Sharing and HIPAA Compliance apps, and Recording Patient Data for Patients apps. Read the reviews to decide which apps are the right fit for you and be sure to check back often for updates. Do you have an app to recommend? Please e-mail reviewsubmissions@acc.org to submit a review.

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