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How the Smartphone Is Changing Allergy Diagnostics

  • Immunologic/Diagnostic Tests in Allergy (P Matricardi, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

Evidence-based clinical diagnosis of allergic disorders is increasingly challenging. Clinical decision support systems implemented in mobile applications (apps) are being developed to assist clinicians in diagnostic decisions at the point of care. We reviewed apps for allergic diseases general diagnosis, diagnostic refinement and diagnostic personalisation. Apps designed for specific medical devices are not addressed.

Recent Findings

Apps with potential usefulness in the initial diagnosis and diagnostic refinement of respiratory, food, skin and drug allergies are described. Apps to support diagnostic personalisation are not yet available. There is an urgent need to increase the scientific evidence on the real usefulness of these apps, as well as to develop new scientifically grounded apps designed and validated to support all allergic diseases and diagnostic levels.

Summary

Apps have the potential to change the diagnosis of allergic diseases becoming part of the routine diagnostics toolset, but its usefulness needs to be established.

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Funding

During the conduct of the work, the authors were supported by ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) through the operation POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029130 (“mINSPIRERS—mHealth para medição e melhoria da adesão à medicação nas doenças respiratórias obstrutivas crónicas—generalização e avaliação de tecnologias de gamificação, suporte por pares e processamento avançado de imagem”) funded by the Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização—COMPETE2020 and by National Funds through FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia); and by NORTE-01-0247-FEDER-033275 (AIRDOC - “Aplicação móvel Inteligente para suporte individualizado e monitorização da função e sons Respiratórios de Doentes Obstrutivos Crónicos ”) by NORTE 2020 (Programa Operacional Regional do Norte).

Cristina Jácome has a post-doctoral grant (SFRH/BPD/115169/2016) funded by FCT, co-financed by the European Social Fund (POCH) and Portuguese national funds from MCTES (Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior).

Rute Almeida has a post-doctoral grant from Project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000016 (NanoSTIMA) funded by North Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, and through ERDF.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Allergy Unit, Instituto and Hospital CUF, Porto, Portugal

    Ana Margarida Pereira & João Almeida Fonseca

  2. CINTESIS- Center for Health Technologies and Information Systems Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Ana Margarida Pereira, Cristina Jácome, Rute Almeida & João Almeida Fonseca

  3. MEDCIDS - Department of Community Medicine, Health Information and Decision, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    João Almeida Fonseca

  4. MEDIDA – Medicina, Educação, Investigação, Desenvolvimento e Avaliação, Porto, Portugal

    João Almeida Fonseca

Authors
  1. Ana Margarida Pereira
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  2. Cristina Jácome
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  3. Rute Almeida
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  4. João Almeida Fonseca
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Correspondence to João Almeida Fonseca.

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Conflict of Interest

Ana Margarida Pereira and João Fonseca are investigators in studies with InspirerMundi, Allergy Diary and AllergyMonitor. Cristina Jácome is an investigator in studies with InspirerMundi. Rute Almeida is an investigator in studies with InspirerMundi and Allergy Diary.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Immunologic/Diagnostic Tests in Allergy

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Pereira, A.M., Jácome, C., Almeida, R. et al. How the Smartphone Is Changing Allergy Diagnostics. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep 18, 69 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11882-018-0824-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11882-018-0824-4

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