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Mobile Health

Nicholas Booth

It's like having a doctor you can always call on, without getting the brush off

Your mobile knows all your intimate details, but it’s discrete, always available and its reception doesn’t stink. Small wonder many of us are starting to regard our mobiles as our doctor.

Dr InaBox
Ericsson has launched a new Dr In a Box service, that obviates the need for you to attend surgeries. By connecting various devices to your phone, it can serve all manner of functions. A pill dispenser, for example, sends a message to doctor each time your prescribed medicine is taken. Connected weighing scales tell the doctor how fat you are. There’s an app to measure and report on your blood sugar, blood pressure and even breathing. You can even attach an ECG machine, which warns the doctor to switch his bleeper off, if it looks like you’re having a heart attack.
We’ll know Dr InaBox has come of age when they develop a heavy drinking SmartPhone that uses a stroppy receptionist to screen out the tedious patients.

SOS4Life
Not to be outdone, St John’s Ambulance has an app that gives advice on everything from major and minor emergencies, to guidance on treating infants. Great for when you’re choking, bleeding severely or in cardiac arrest.
A quarter of us would stand by while someone dies, says their research, so this app could change that. It’s £2.39 at the Apple app store.
Your mobile could also store your medical records, which is a boon when you’re taken ill abroad. Why? It can translate your condition into any language at the touch of a button. Can you remember the Spanish for “my piles are giving me gyp”? Well, as long as you can recall your PIN, you’ll never need to. Available on all good phones by the time you’re on holiday.

Babymate tracks your baby's growth and development milestones from birth to age 3, as well as giving information about health issues and top tips for new parents.

Noise Assassin
My personal favourite, a mental health life saver that blocks out infuriating dins, be they from Vuvuzelas, a show off on the train or a shouty tourist in a Spanish surgery trying to explain about his piles. Aliph, which makes these headsets, is offering 30% off if you use the Vuvuzela promo code at

Free apps:
Free GI Meal Planner for Diabetes
MyGlucoHealth
Weight Tracker Touch