Just type “heart health” into Apple’s App Store, and you’ll find a wide range of mobile apps out there. “I believe that they (apps) have helped many patients think about their heart status and cardiovascular health awareness,” says Jonn A. Osborne, MD, PhD, director of preventive cardiology at Dallas Medical Center in Texas. “I think they have promise." But, Dr. Osborne warns, these apps can’t help you unless you’re motivated enough to input data on a regular basis to keep track of your health on a long-term basis. Along with being motivated and diligent, Osborne says that it’s important to find an app that integrates a number of things related to health, including fitness, diet, and blood pressure. He says the best apps integrate “all of these variables … as well as provide easy-to-understand and carefully vetted education and advice on how to reduce one’s heart attack risk.” RELATED: New Blood Pressure Guidelines: The Numbers That Really Matter
What to Look for in a Heart Health App
The interest in heart health apps is understandable. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer in the United States, leading to one in every four deaths, annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But Osborne notes that a number of apps currently on the market have not been specifically vetted by the FDA, which can lead to “overdiagnosis” and “inappropriate worry” on the part of users. “I’m confident that we will see with time that these tools will be more accurate and useful and also prove to be cost-effective in clinical care,” Osborne adds. So, what are the benefits? For Osborne, apps work best when integrated into clinical care with the advice and review of a person’s doctor. “Healthcare is a complicated endeavor and I am excited by the potential of these technologies to reduce healthcare costs, to give the patient more control, insight, and understanding into their health, and expand access to information and data that was generally only available to healthcare providers,” Osborne says. “I believe that the best results in the future will be patients using this technology, but being guided by the education, knowledge, and experience of their healthcare providers.” In short, always consult your doctor first when you have concerns about your heart health. consult your doctor first. Here are five free apps that you could download today for both Apple and Android devices:
1. My Cardiac Coach
Osborne says that My Cardiac Coach, from the American Heart Association, is one of the apps that best integrates variables like fitness and blood pressure. Beyond featuring useful information from the AHA, the app is billed as a “personalized recovery toolkit” that “you carry in your smartphone.” The app offers progress-trackers that people can use to monitor their weight and blood pressure, and also has the ability to log physical activity and keep track of the medication they are taking. It also offers the “Support Network,” where people can connect with others dealing with heart disease. The My Cardiac Coach app is available at the App Store and Google Play
2. Instant Heart Rate
This app can measure your pulse through your phone’s camera. How does it work? The app can record and measure your pulse by capturing color changes in your finger when you hold it up to the camera. The process is fast — you can receive your heart rate reading in less than 10 seconds. It also compiles “progress reports” that you can share with your doctor. The Instant Heart Rate app is available at the App Store and Google Play
3. PulsePoint
This app can connect people who might be experiencing a cardiac event with CPR services close to them. The app shows what services are nearby on a map of your vicinity. If you find yourself in an emergency, you can alert CPR-trained bystanders who are also using the app that you need help. The PulsePoint app is available at the App Store and Google Play
4. Smart Blood Pressure (SmartBP)
This app can sync your data from blood pressure measurement devices through either the Apple HealthKit or Microsoft HealthVault. You can record your blood pressure and weight, for instance, to figure out important stats, like your BMI or pulse pressure. As with the other apps, you can easily share this data with your doctor to properly assess your heart health. The SmartBP app is available at the App Store and Google Play
5. iCardio
This could be good for the fitness enthusiast. It can record your distance and speed if you go for a run, for instance, and uses simple color coding to show you what your heart rate is as you exert more energy. If you have a fitness device like a Fitbit, you can easily sync its data with this app. The iCardio app is available at the App Store and Google Play
