The world receives healthcare far differently than ever before, thanks to rapidly improving technology. For instance, we can tap around a few times on our smartphones and about 45 minutes later, a pizza will arrive at the door. That’s healthy, right? Outside of the benefits of cheesy bread, technology gives us a wide range of opportunities we can use to improve and monitor our health. From Fitbits to mobile blood sugar monitors, we now have an expansive world of options to feel better and decrease discomfort. One discomfort that is extremely common is located in one of the most vital parts of our bodies - our backs. No kidding, a reported 80% of us will suffer from back pain at some point in our lives. 80%! We were approached by a revolutionary company called Nuspine, whose aim was to improve that terrible statistic. Nuspine’s vision was to work with what you’ve got, right where you are. They wanted an easy-to-use solution that back pain sufferers could access from the comfort of their home, in a convenient way. We add the convenient bit because, sure, a few taps on a smartphone could cause a spine expert to arrive at your door much like the aforementioned pizza, but who has time for that anyway? Instead, they assembled a group of spine and back experts and got to work designing exercises and routines that the common back pain sufferer could access and use on an everyday basis. Putting it all together, they developed a training program designed to reduce spine compression, which aids in reducing overall back pain. Once we took on this project, we knew that simple UI/UX was going to be key. These folks are dealing with back pain, the last thing they need is an app that’s confusing, complicated, and ultimately frustrating. The team also realized the challenge of moving a user through a training system as sophisticated as one dealing with improving the health of the user. As such, the exercises are delivered through a step-by-step progression learning system, guiding the patient through modules in order to learn more techniques, and improve spinal health. As further steps are taken through the Nuspine system, the user unlocks bonus tips that help the patient further understand the principles of back pain, and how the body is influenced by the environment around them. Nuspine also includes a tracking journal, developed by the National Institute of Health, helping the user further understand the impact back pain has on their lifestyle. As the patient moves through the training, the journal keeps track of exactly when they improve, which helps them understand which elements of Nuspine were the most effective. This innovative system was created for on-the-go patients, physicians, and clinicians, in order to work together to streamline the healing process for those 80% of us who have ever suffered from back pain. Which means, if you’re reading this right now and feel discomfort in your back - it’s time to give Nuspine a try. Barefoot Solutions works with a wide range of innovators to create apps that people will use, apps that make money, and apps that improve everyday lives. Have an idea? Let’s hear it.

The way we do life has changed as we move closer in sync with our mobile devices - and the same is true when it comes to healthcare. For years the healthcare industry avoided going online for the protection of patient medical records, but continued advances in security have allowed information regarding a person’s health to be available online and mobile. Now the newest changes are coming in the form of what we love the most - mobile apps. Big advances in this space are quickly coming, and have the potential to change the way we do medicine in the States. Self Tracking Yes health monitoring apps have been available for years. Apps such as MapMyRun or MyFitnessPal serve as tracking applications for various aspects of users’ health. And the popularity of these apps are rampant, as they are currently the leading mobile apps in the health and fitness category. As user’s input data regarding daily activities, apps like these are powerful for users to track their progress in diet and fitness, assisting their ability to stay in shape, get in shape or even meet weight loss goals. What IS that? Have you ever looked at a foreign disfiguration on your body and wondered in alarm, “That’s new. What the h*** is that?!” Regardless of your novice or expertise in diagnosis, it’s always a good idea to get a second opinion. That’s one of the new areas mobile is helping to serve the medical industry - assisting with diagnosis on a case-by-case basis. For example, the battle against skin cancer is one that can sneak up on unsuspecting sunbathers if not monitored. SkinVision provides analysis and tracking for moles that may be of concern. The patient simply takes a snapshot with their mobile device of the curious formation and uploads to the database. The app conducts a mole assessment in seconds, an analysis algorithm intended to detect whether or not the formation is cancerous and worthy of concern. Through the same vein, even more complex analysis can be done through medical devices built specifically for the medical field. EmergeDX is one such company pioneering this effort, first by building a device able to evaluate numerous medically accepted tests such as EMG (electromyography), range of motion testing, and functional capacity evaluations. Sensors are placed on the injured area to measure muscle response to tests. The powerful purpose of this is to help determine cause of injury and assist with treatment recommendations. Sophisticated Monitoring Patients and/or medical dummies aren’t the only ones who benefit from mobile technology advances. Doctors are beginning to use varied mobile apps to diagnose or measure patients’ health. A proponent of mobile medical apps, cardiologist and Professor of Genomics at the Scripps Research Institute, Eric Topol in San Diego has stated apps can be extremely valuable. He noted that by monitoring blood pressure or glucose rates, patients and doctors can keep these conditions in check and possibly avoid the need for costly medicine. In fact in two separate cases, both in airplanes, Topol used an iPhone app along with a heart monitor to diagnose persons suspected of having heart problems. One woman was found to have atrial fibrillation. In the other case, a man was having a heart attack and the plane was diverted so he could receive immediate treatment. Through a similar vein, Dr. Sara Browne and her team at UC San Diego’s School of Medicine are utilizing technology to remotely track TB treatments. The technology includes ingestible sensors which record the time medication was ingested. By transmitting the data to a wearable sensor in a patch worn on the patient’s torso, medical professionals are able to collect activity and rest patterns. The patch sends the information to a secure mobile application for further analysis. Are We Relying on Robots? Further implications of technological progression like this is exciting for those in and out of the medical community. Yet in most cases mobile applications developed for healthcare monitoring is not intended to replace doctors or regular in-person checkups. Rather, medical mobile app development is intended to compliment the patient-doctor relationship. They do so by informing patients when and if they should be of concern as well as provides preliminary education. Mobile apps also provide doctors with more sophisticated data regarding the patient’s health, which can aid in eventual diagnosis and treatment. Want to learn more? Interested in how Barefoot can help with your medical mobile app idea? We have the experience and the portfolio in this space we excel in - send us a message and let’s get started.

We spend significant time on our mobile devices for a wide range of reasons. Much of it is for social engagement, some of it is for managing schedules, other times it’s playing games to get through that meeting in which Jerry just won’t stop talking. Yet one thing we can overlook is how our brain can get atrophied from lack of, shall we say, exercise. Some app developers refuse to stand for that, and get to work building mobile and web applications that not only train your brain, but are fun to use too. Let’s take a look at the best ones they’ve come up with so far.   Elevate A creation brought to life by the collaboration of developers, neuroscientists and cognitive learning experts, Elevate is an overall brain training app. Complete with games of varying kinds that include cartoonish characters like dolls, birds, spaceships, Elevate works to sharpen how you speak, listen, write, and read. The goal is to improve your overall communication skills, which directly translates to real life as you can process information better and socialize with others more eloquently. The use of vibrant cartoons makes it easy to get addicted, as it feels more like a game than an educational tool.   Luminosity Similar to Elevate, Luminosity is also an overall brain training app. The focus of Luminosity however is to strengthen “core” cognitive abilities such as memory, attention span, problem solving, and pattern recognition. By working on these abilities the user will be more equipped for performing real life tasks like decision making and remembering names. Perhaps you’ll finally be able to remember the people you meet at networking events, and the business cards you go home with will actually mean something. With muted down colors and pattern recognition strategies, the games improve brain skills in a subtle and memorable manner.   Duolingo Learning a second, third, or fifteenth language is excellent for the brain. It improves memory retention, slows the onset of Alzheimer’s for older learners, improves test scores for younger learners, and bilinguals have denser grey matter than people who only speak one language. Yet blocking out time to learn a language can be a challenge, a common problem that Duolingo aims to solve. The free language learning app provides an excellent way for the busy person to learn and practice their new language literally anywhere they are. To start, the app requires that you set a goal for how much time you want to spend on the app, e.g. 5 minutes, 10 minutes, etc. each day. From there the app takes you through a series of games, lessons and exercises to train your brain how to navigate through the new language. Gamification is infused every step of the way, as the learner earns hearts for doing well, but loses them when answers are wrong. Run out of hearts - game over and start the game again. While you naturally learn commonly used phrases, every now and then the app throws a teaser such as, "I have a snake in my boot." Who doesn't love a random Toy Story reference?   Personal Zen Carving out time to meditate or simply chill out can be impossible. Enter Personal Zen, the app designed to help users focus more on the positive and less on the negative for the purposes of reducing anxiety and stress. Users follow two characters through their adventures, one a positive, calm and friendly avatar, the other an angry, hostile figure. The easy-to-play game is set on a grass field and players swipe the ruffled grass until you've swiped over all of it. The trick is to swipe as quickly and accurately as you can. As the game progresses, users are conditioned to choose positive options and thinking over negative. Dr. Shannon M. Bennett, Assistant Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College endorsed the app saying, “Personal Zen brings cutting-edge research and well-established strategies for reducing anxiety and stress into the palm of your hand.”   Happify The benefits of being happy absolutely apply to the brain. Happify is the gaming app intended to do just that by recommending activities daily to help you reach goals such as feeling peace of mind, more engaged, gratefulness, feeling more motivated or excited about the future. The user can also select games they feel like playing that day to focus on a particular aspect of happiness like boosting self esteem or appreciating the little things. With statistics showing that 86% of frequent users report improvements in their happiness in just 2 months of use, it’s worth the free download. Want to develop the next app to improve brains across the world? Ping us and let’s see what we can do.