An Introduction to Consumer Health Apps for the iPhone

Access to health care information increased substantially with the commercial arrival of the Internet in the 1990s; consumers of health information had access to a tremendous amount of information at their fingertips. With the launch of the iPhone in 2007, information became accessible and portable. This article will examine the early usage of health information applications, or apps,'' and provide an overview of several apps for the iPhone. Numerous areas of future research that can be applied to the emerging arena of consumer health apps will also be identified.