Medical smartphone apps widely studied for potential but not for actual use

There’s plenty of research into the diagnostic accuracy of medical smartphone apps created to supply clinical decision support (CDS). However, few studies have looked at how helpful these apps are in clinical practice.

That’s according to a literature review conducted at King’s College London and published in Artificial Intelligence in Medicine.

In presenting their findings, the authors note the gap must close if CDS apps are to fulfill their early promise for broadening access to care as well as the quality of care.

Dr. Helena Watson and colleagues searched multiple research databases for studies on CDS and smartphones published between 2007—the year the first iPhone was released—and...