Mobile health apps have the potential to
change the management of chronic illnesses
in general and may be particularly valuable
for mental illnesses, says John Kane, chairman
of psychiatry at the hospital. Kane says
his patients come to the clinic about once a
month, and in between those visits he has
no way of knowing if they’re sliding back
into psychosis. “When they’re having the
relapse, they might not have the insight to
call us and say, ‘I think I’m becoming ill
again,’ ” Kane says. “This technology lets us
observe the patient’s condition in real time.”