Our team of experts continually monitor, assess and ask questions, so they can give consumers, professionals and health and care bodies across the world accurate, impartial and up to date advice on finding the best apps.

Here, we pick the most significant market developments from over the past month:

What is the importance of improving the quality and safety of health apps? This literature review shows how valuable ORCHA’s App Review process is in providing transparency about which apps are safe to use. Read the review here, which explores ‘Safety concerns with consumer-facing mobile health applications and their consequences’: http://ow.ly/mO4p50wW7gG

The Local Growth Hub has allowed ORCHA to scale at pace, growing to a now global company. Watch this video from Local Growth Hub for an insight into how we have worked with them, and a inside look at ORCHA’s work distributing great digital health for populations across the world: http://www.bqlive.co.uk/healthcare-medical/2019/10/07/video/how-orcha-is-improving-digital-health-apps-across-the-globe-36417/

How are we working with charity Patient Safety Learning to improve the safety of health and care apps? ORCHA want to ensure that safe and effective digital health is accessible to all for multiple health conditions, especially as only 15% of apps that we review meet our quality threshold. Read more here: https://www.digitalhealth.net/2019/10/healthcare-apps-safety-standards/

Does digital training need to be embedded into clinical workstreams in order to avoid a knowledge gap forming? Read our interview with Digital Health here: https://www.digitalhealth.net/2019/10/digital-training-embedding-clinical-curricula/

We are entering into a strategic, international partnership with Dutch eHealth knowledge platform NeLL (National eHealth Living Lab) to support the delivery, implementation and scaling-up of safe & effective health apps. Learn more here.

In our latest video, hear Dr Devender Roberts discuss the impact apps can make in the delivery of maternity care. Improving Me, a partnership of 27 NHS organisations across Cheshire and Merseyside, has introduced an app library so that patients can access safe health apps with confidence. The app library includes the top-rated apps for maternity, and can be found at improvingme.orcha.co.uk

As it’s Fertility Awareness Week, we’re taking a look at apps for Women’s Health. From period-tracking apps, to fertility and pregnancy apps, there’s been a huge rise in the number of apps in this field, but testing reveals that 85% don’t meet our quality threshold.

Take a look at our videos of three top scoring women’s health apps on ORCHA’s App Library, including an app that uses a smart algorithm to learn your ovulation cycle, and apps that empower women during pregnancy and beyond:

Natural Cycles – This app uses a smart algorithm to learn your cycle and identify your ovulation by analysing your basal body temperature, making it a useful fertility tracker. Backed by scientific research, the app is also the first digital method of birth control available in both the USA and Europe.

Mum & Baby – Developed in partnership between families and maternity staff from NHS trusts in North West London, Mum & Baby can provide support from the start of pregnancy to early parenthood. The app allows you to access information for all stages of your maternity journey, and make personalised plans for your care during pregnancy, birth and beyond.

Mush – This app empowers women to build local friendships with other mums, share advice and find support from an understanding community. Mush creates opportunities for mums to socialise, bridging the gap between appointments with healthcare professionals, and provides support for those who don’t have family networks nearby.

Due to our continual re-review process, all app scores are subject to change. As such, we’d always encourage you to view our app reviews on our App Library, as this reflects Live data and app updates which are continuously changing. Our re-review process ensures that the most up-to-date information for the latest version of an app can be accessed via our App Library.

As a growing, global organisation, ORCHA’s mission is to distribute great digital health apps to both local and international populations.

This is why we are delighted to be a partner for the Digital Health Society Summit, which will be held on the 11th and 12th December 2019 in Helsinki, Finland.

The Digital Health Society Summit, supported by Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs & Health and the ECHAlliance, connects digital health and data initiatives in Europe, providing a unique opportunity to participate, network and collaborate for anyone interested in digital health. We will soon be announcing our speaking slot for the event, but the agenda so far, along with details of how to register, can be found by clicking here.

We would love for you to join us at this collaborative and innovative digital health event!

#DHSHelsinkiSummit19