We have blogged before about some of the best iPhone and iPad health apps around, and the massive growth in the number of apps. And while it is too early to see what health apps will be available on the Playbook, it is clear that tablet devices such as these could soon be preferred over laptops. They will inevitably also influence laptops themselves, where usable apps are preferred over complex software.

Like the iPhone and iPad, it is possible for anyone to create apps for the Playbook. This means the app market is crowded and competitive and any ventures must make the cut, either by being niche interest or better than what already exists. Apps for healthcare professionals must bear this in mind, but there are still untapped opportunities to help patients manage their healthcare in a range of ways using tablet devices. Neglect this and others will prosper, making the market yet more crowded and more competitive.

The theory behind the initiative is that teenagers are more likely to play games on computers or mobile phones than they are to watch educational programming. So Channel 4 is trying out ways to make the most of their education budget by experimenting in this area (more information on this in a detailed article by The Guardian).

There is a thriving industry out there of games developers making this software specifically for healthcare campaigns , as we discovered just by reaching out on Google. These games can be really effective, although there are a few golden rules we’d think would be essential:

•  Relevance: Pretty much rule number one. ‘Privates’ will work for a select audience of teenage boys, but as one commenter on The Guardian article put it nicely, “playing games inside a vagina … I wonder whether this will appeal more to boys than girls”. If the target audience in this case is girls (which we can only assume it is not), this is obviously a bad route. Similar Flash games suit audiences perfectly, like these particularly cute but shocking heart operation games by the British Heart Foundation. Children play games like this and would definitely engage in them
• Integrated publicity: Like any online health awareness campaign, there must be something driving traffic to the site, such as a wider public relations campaign with engaging spokespeople, patient case studies and the like
• Educational/recreational balance: Are the learning objectives going to be achieved best by a game or through peer to peer consensus around an issue, which might better be achieved through social networking or a more traditional media outreach focus? One issue with Flash games is whether the educational content will just be skipped through. If so, perhaps there is some ‘subconscious’ learning occurring, but if a game can have an unobtrusive, in-built evaluation mechanism (like a knowledge test), it would be an excellent way to ensure the objectives are achieved

There’s one further issue to consider with these games, and that’s the incompatibility of Flash with Apple iPods, iPhones and iPads. For some audiences, you might be better off developing an app, although the great thing about Flash is that you can use it on most computers by going to a webpage, rather than having to download an app.

The over-riding consideration to come back to is always that games like this can be good content, but without some strong educational context, ‘edutainment’ is at risk of becoming exactly what it’s detractors think it is. But if it’s done right, you have the potential to captivate a large new audience, and have a lot of fun at the same time.

Last month, Bristol PCT was the first NHS trust to release an app with the ability to pinpoint local NHS services (through GPS), issue GP appointment reminders and even provide a ‘panic’ button in case the user experiences an emergency.  This is just one of many apps appearing to enable us to live better and healthier lifestyles. Last week, the Mail released their top ten health apps to ‘keep the doctor away’. The list includes a body mass index calculator, first aid guide from St John’s Ambulance, symptom checker and diagnosis gizmo, hypnotherapy smoking cessation tool and even a ‘period’ diary to track the menstruation cycle of women trying to get pregnant. In the US, ‘AirStrip technologies’ are going that little bit further with an app that enables hospital doctors to check patients’ blood results from the lab, monitor bedside ECGs (in real-time) from anywhere in the world and view any data anomalies.

It is with no doubt that healthcare is being propelled into the digital sphere. It makes perfect sense too as whether you live in the UK or abroad, distance and expense is a major barrier to health education, service provision or access to treatments. Having instant, hand-held and remote access to information and services breaks down these barriers. With all these new applications being released, we might see less patients coming through the doors of our GP surgeries and pharmacies (potentially with job losses?). On the other hand, perhaps we’ll see a huge influx of the paranoid worried-well. Only time will tell. One thing is for sure, this emerging technology is providing PR professionals with new and exciting ways to engage, communicate and interact with doctors and patients.

Firstly, the concept of apps is here to stay, no question. Over a nine month period, there were 1 billion app downloads through iTunes. 2 million iPads have been sold in the first two months following launch in the US alone. Yes, the NHS has limited resources and healthcare professionals are unable to get free iPhones, iPads and smart phones from their employer, but an increasing number will have them for personal use, and also use them for work. In other words, there is a huge potential for pharma to begin to develop apps – it’s not going away any time soon.

Secondly, developing apps does not have to be expensive, nor does it need to have absolutely mind-blowing revolutionary functionality. Apps can just be another highly effective way to communicate to healthcare professionals, and potentially patients when it comes to health awareness campaigns and other non-branded activities.

Pfizer is collaborating with Epocrates, who are creating a drug reference app. Clinicians will be able to report adverse events related to the drugs referenced in the app directly to Pfizer. Drugs information is also provided on the app with the aim of ‘enhancing the safe and effective use’ of Pfizer medicines. Other companies will follow, which means ultimately we could be in a place where apps enable doctors to ask questions to pharma companies about their drugs and receive prompt responses. This kind of ‘value added’ service could improve treatment outcomes and from a company perspective, will do great things for customer relationships (if managed well).

The GSK app is slightly more specialist. MedTrust Online, the company they are working with to develop the app, provide specialist data and technology to oncologists. According to a useful Pharma Times article , “the application enables cancer doctors to find and share experimental therapies in clinical trials. It includes a quick search menu based on 12 common cancers as well as more advanced features that refine searches based on criteria such as gender, age or trial status.”

The principles of the oncology app could be applied elsewhere. How many apps cater for specialties in medicine and facilitate peer-to-peer communication and collaboration? There is scope for a lot more of this. There is also huge potential for patient-support apps, and regularly updated patient resource apps.

These first two pharma apps will hopefully give us a clue of the shape of things to come, and help to get the ball rolling.