FDA drafts Mobile Medical Applications document
There are all manner of medically-based uses for iOS devices (the iPad in particular) if you are a medical professional, so it was just a question of time before patients themselves got in on the act (brace yourself, we get all bureaucratic up ahead). According to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the FDA has drafted a document titled Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff - Mobile Medical Applications which is a first pass at attempting some standardization and looking at regulating the data and communication requirements of apps like this (for example, having a glucose monitor that can sync readings to your iOS device).
Particularly for a condition like diabetes, which requires tracking and (sometimes frequent) monitoring, it's very handy to have all that data available quickly and easily. Having an official stance, even in draft, is a big step forward. From the JDRF:
Once the information is on a smartphone, diabetes management will become more discrete while at the same time opening up a world of opportunity. You could view glucose levels, determine insulin requirements and make dosing decisions, track your treatment, and share all of this information seamlessly with the people that help with and matter most to your care. You could send alerts and alarms automatically to parents or caregivers, and receive helpful advice when needed.
If this is something you're in favor of, or better yet, could actually use, now's your chance to add your voice to the encouragement. Here's the catch: You only have until October 19th to have your say. You'll find feedback on the JDRF post that you can use as an example to work from. If you or someone you know could benefit from this, take a moment and fill out the comment form. Who knows? Your comment may be the one that puts it over the edge and turns this draft into reality.
