How to design equitable digital health tools: A narrative review of design tactics, case studies, and opportunities.

With a renewed focus on health equity in the United States driven by national crises and legislation to improve digital healthcare innovation, there is a need for the designers of digital health tools to take deliberate steps to design for equity in their work. A concrete toolkit of methods to design for health equity is needed to support digital health practitioners in this aim. This narrative review summarizes several health equity frameworks to help digital health practitioners conceptualize the equity dimensions of importance for their work, and then provides design approaches that accommodate an equity focus. Specifically, the Double Diamond Model, the IDEAS framework and toolkit, and community collaboration techniques such as participatory design are explored as mechanisms for practitioners to solicit input from members of underserved groups and better design digital health tools that serve their needs. Each of these design methods requires a deliberate effort by practitioners to infuse health equity into the approach. A series of case studies that use different methods to build in equity considerations are offered to provide examples of how this can be accomplished and demonstrate the range of applications available depending on resources, budget, product maturity, and other factors. We conclude with a call for shared rigor around designing digital health tools that deliver equitable outcomes for members of underserved populations.

Uncertainty in healthcare and health decision making: Five methodological and conceptual research recommendations from an interdisciplinary team.

Uncertainty is prevalent in various health contexts. It is imperative to understand how health-related uncertainty can impact individuals' healthcare experiences and health decision making. The purpose of the present paper is to provide five overarching recommendations from an interdisciplinary team of experts to address gaps in the literature on health-related uncertainty. We present a case study of health-related uncertainty within the specific context of alcohol use to demonstrate these gaps and provide context for the recommendations. The five recommendations concerning health-related uncertainty include: (1) use common, consistent terminology to discuss uncertainty, (2) clarify measures of individual differences in response to uncertainty, (3) increase research on uncertainty and affect, (4) investigate the impact of the channel through which uncertainty is communicated, and (5) develop theory-driven interventions to improve uncertainty management. We conclude by reviewing health contexts in which health-related uncertainty exists and note how our recommendations complement existing reviews and data.

Food for thought.

Healthy eating is essential to avoid many health problems, but identifying health-promoting foods and behaviors is difficult for most individuals. Fooducate is a diet tracking app that comes with a variety of tools, features and support mechanisms that claim to simplify the task of eating healthy. Based on our analysis of the user reviews, we identified five benefits that Fooducate users have reported experiencing in relation to achieving good health: improved food choices, increased awareness, weight loss personalized care and "ever-present" human support. Fooducate can align itself more closely with users' goal of achieving healthy lifestyle by expanding its database, making its interfaces flexible, improving its ability to provide personalized care and revising its ideological choices.

Expecting great expectations when expecting.

Pregnancy is a time when a woman experiences a number of unexpected biological, psychological and social changes. Traditionally, woman sought guidance and help from their mothers and/or social circles to learn how to tackle these changes. With the advent of the mobile revolution, women are now turning to mobile applications to do the same. In this article, we review a pregnancy tracking mobile application called Ovia, in the light of the comments made by mothers using it from around the world. We learn that women like Ovia because it allows them to track, monitor and explore their pregnancy journey by receiving personalized guidance.

Onto the bull's eye.

People set goals to improve their overall health and well-being. Unfortunately, people often lose motivation to achieve their goals because they fail to set proper goals. Goalify is a free mobile app with paid features that can help people set, achieve and maintain goals. It follows Locke and Latham strategies for successful goal setting. To gain greater control over their lives, we recommend readers to use a theory-based mobile app to set, log and achieve their goals.

Mind (is) your body.

The majority of people who experience mental health issues also have poor physical health resulting in decreased life expectancy. Fortunately, many physical health issues can be identified and rectified by monitoring various health indicators over a time period. The Physical Health Diary is a tool that people can use by themselves and/or with others to track, monitor and improve their physical health over time.

Sleeping with an Android.

Sleep quality and duration are strong indicators of an individual's health and quality of lifebut they are difficult to track in everyday life. Mobile apps such as Sleep as Android leverage smartphone sensors to track sleep patterns and make recommendations to improve sleeping habits.

Heart rate monitoring mobile applications.

Total number of times a heart beats in a minute is known as the heart rate. Traditionally, heart rate was measured using clunky gadgets but these days it can be measured with a smartphone's camera. This can help you measure your heart rate anywhere and at anytime, especially during workouts so you can adjust your workout intensity to achieve maximum health benefits. With simple and easy to use mobile app, 'Unique Heart Rate Monitor', you can also maintain your heart rate history for personal reflection and sharing with a provider.

Apps for Highlights: our new column for your health management needs.

Millions of health and fitness apps are available in online App stores but people are confused about which ones to use and what are the possible benefits of using them. To broaden your understanding about uses and advantages of these mobile apps, every month in this issue, we will focus on a particular health issue and review related mobile apps.

Baby statistics: there is an App for that!

Tracking a baby's health data such as feeds, diapers, medications and infections can help parents perform their parenting duties better and with diligence. Providers can use these statistics to monitor and predict baby's development patterns. 'Baby Feed' is an easy to use mobile application that offers all the tools necessary to effectively track and manage your infant's growth.

No gain without pain: using pain tracking mobile Apps.

Chronic pain often remains untreated because tracking its causes and symptoms is difficult. By recording details of pain episodes, retrospectively analyzing data around pain and sharing it with experts, pain management can be demystified and better treatment options can be suggested.

Daylio: mood-quantification for a less stressful you.

Moods are emotional states that can last from short to long periods of times. However, if moods are negative for long durations, people's quality of life can deteriorate significantly. Daylio is a simple, easy to use mobile application that can help people track their moods and activities to identify triggers to disorders.

Health is fine if pills are on time.

Medication non-adherence is a pervasive problem that can impact an individual's health and wellness. MediSafe is a user-friendly and simple app that enables patients to improve their medication adherence by setting reminders, and enhance their provider relationships by sharing intake and health indicator history.