Editorial Published on June 28, 2023
mHealth in Otorhinolaryngology
Paul Samuel1
1. Chief Editor, Kerala Journal of ENT – Head & Neck Surgery*
Mobile phone has become a necessity in our day-to-day lives. More than a luxury, the utility of a mobile phone has increased considerably. There are over 6 billion mobile users in the world with India ranking only second to China. The scope of technology has widened tremendously. The impact of this on the practice of otolaryngology cannot be undermined. Mobile health (mHealth) has been defined as medical and public health practice supported by mobile devices, such as mobile phones, patient monitoring devices and personal digital assistants.1 Mobile health (mHealth) has a lot of applications in otorhinolarygology, when they are designed scientifically and validated by medical experts.2
There are various mobile applications for learning, patient self clinical test, patient education & awareness and monitoring of patient for treatment compliance. The number of mobile applications in Google Playstore and Apple Playstore are increasing day-by-day. The different categories in which apps are available in otorhinolaryngology are audiology, tinnitus & balance, sleep medicine, rhinology and laryngology.3 The maximum apps are in the hearing test category. There are apps for learning and aids to clinical diagnosis for practicing otolaryngologists as well as residents.
The biggest challenge that we face in this area are the accuracy of information and credibility of scientific matter associated with it. Review of these mHealth apps has shown that peer review and professional medical input should be used when creating medical information for apps. This is obviously not the case with most of the currently accessible contemporary ENT apps, according to the available analysis. Since there appears to be less clinician engagement in these applications, substantial concerns have been expressed concerning the apps’ potentially misleading content.4 More involvement by the concerned specialists is required in this field to increase the accuracy and clinical aspect of the apps being developed.
End Note
Author Information
Dr. Paul Samuel, Chief Editor,
Kerala Journal of ENT – Head & Neck Surgery;
Senior Consultant in ENT, Cosmopolitan Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Conflict of Interest: None to declare.
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