Mobile apps aid mental health

As the computing power of cellphones increases, more and more sophisticated mobile apps are being developed for the mental health field, reports NPR.

They are seen as a way to bridge periodic therapy sessions - a sort of 24/7 mobile therapist that can help with everything from quitting smoking to treating anxiety to detecting relapses in psychotic disorders.

These mobile technologies let users track their moods and experiences, providing a supplemental tool for psychiatrists and psychologists.

Electronic medical record (EMR) software medical transcription services provider MxSecure says its MxChart EMR system is now compatible with the Apple iPad, writes TMCnet.

"With Apple selling one million iPads within the first month, it's easy to predict that mobile devices like this will be widely adopted by the medical profession," says MxSecure's president and CEO, Colin Christie.

"We see a lot of situations where immediate access to a patient's medical records, and the ability to review recent labs, X-rays or other diagnostic test results on the run, would add great value to that patient/provider interaction."

The Croatian Ministry of Health and Social Care and Ericsson Nikola Tesla company have presented a joint e-health programme, writes CroatianTimes.

The initiative is the first step in the digitalisation of the Primary Medical Care System in Croatia to be introduced completely by January 2011.

The pilot project has been conducted in central and north Croatia, and until the end of the year should connect all 6 000 Primary Medical Care ambulances in Croatia.