23 health apps voted favourite by patient groups and consumers

During November-December 2013, patient groups/empowered consumers from across the world nominated to myhealthapps.net 23 new and diverse health apps. These apps help their users tackle a wide range of health problems and specialties, including: 

·         Improving lifestyle, health and well-being.
·         Supporting treatment.
·         Understanding, tracking, and monitoring medical conditions (and their symptoms).
·         Locating health services.
·         Understanding medical terms.
·         Providing useful medical or health information.
·         Monitoring the environment, for health reasons.
·         Allowing patients and the public to provide feedback on health care services.

There is even an app that allows people to track and report instances of bribery within their health care system.

Why does myhealthapps.net include an app for tracking/reporting bribery in health care? 
Bribery is a common problem in healthcare systems around the world.Transparency International states on its website that “medical staff can charge unofficial fees to attend to patients. They may demand bribes for medication which should be free. Or they may let patients who bribe them queue-jump.”

The problem is rife in developing and wealthy countries alike, insists the advocacy body.  Afrobarometer’s 2011-2013 survey of more than 51,000 Africans found that one in five Africans have been forced to pay a bribe to get basic public services, including health care. Health Consumer Powerhouse’s 2013 Euro Health Consumer Index survey of over 1,000 patient groups Europe-wide revealed that patients can be asked (sometimes frequently) to make unofficial (under-the-table) payments to access health care treatment.

An average of 12% of patient groups across the EU report that patients are frequently asked for such payments—but 51% of patient groups in Greece, 26% in France, and 11% in Italy state that such is the case in their country. This is why organisations such as the Global Health Hub, a volunteer-run site, have endorsed Bribespot.

About bribespot

Bribespot allows people to track and anonymously report examples of any bribery that they might experience. Bribes reported by other anonymous users are shown on a map and in lists, filtered by category, location, or date. Tips on the reporting of bribes are supplied. The app’s employment of hypertext-transfer-protocol secure (https) allows the user’s communications to be encrypted during passage on the Internet. The app won the Vodafone Foundation’s ‘Mobile for Good Europe’ award in the ‘Public Services’ category in 2013 (a competition judged by a panel that includes Age Platform Europe and the European Disability Forum).

For more information, click here.

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