I've done a lot of work today and learned a lot from other apps, but my work isn't nearly done because I downloaded 5 apps and didn't even get through 1 because I'm so fascinated with all the features that each has and get involved with one, while neglecting another...I feel like a patient! ha!

If you didn't finish creating your profile when you first open the app, the home screen (as seen earlier) shows 35% complete. You click on either that or the koala (would be my profile picture) and it brings you to the page where you need to fill out all medical info.

• I really like how in the top, right-hand corner there's a body that represents the percent complete...it fill up! This encourages me to fill out my info so the app considers me a person!
• The info that the patient needs to fill out is: about me, contact info, insurance info, medications, allergies, symptoms & conditions, procedures, immunization, and pharmacy info

I really like this app because it's so easy to navigate through, it is well thought out, and every last detail is considered. For example, if the patient isn't comfortable with using a real picture, they can search through the app's photo gallery with illustrations and cartoons and pick one.

HealthTap is another great app that I came across today. It is very much like what we discussed and has many of the features that we want in our app. It's pretty much a more developed HepCure, except it's not specific to Hepatitis C and it's more focused on social interactions between doctors and patients--all of the content is based doctor's posts (not to worry, 1.2 million doctors use the app)--instead of info that was added before the app was created (what we're doing).

These are the opening slides of the app, when creating a profile. I was shocked to see that it has everything that I wanted to include! It was actually pretty freaky because I thought that my ideas were original, but these guys have it!!

Developing a feature in the app that connects patients and doctors is meant to engage and draw a connection. 
There are FIVE ways by which current health apps connect patients and doctors:
1. Secure messaging
2. Appointment Requests
3. Sharing Lab Results
4. Documenting Personal Health Info
5. Voice Communication

Source: http://www.poweryourpractice.com/medical-practice-resources/weekly-checkup/how-mobile-apps-connect-physicians-and-patients/

Dr. Atreja sent me a link to the following site: http://kawanoshinobu.com/apps/sencha-touch-flat-ui/#demo/CandlestickChart

The "Doctors" icon on the app has the following functions:

1. Research gamification and see how it's used in apps
2. Research and explain features of iTriage; apply to our app
3. Research other apps that connect doctors and patients and develop "my support team"

At the beginning of the day, I was researching other successful apps and trying to think of more creative and engaging ways of tracking patient progress. However, no method that I sketched out was as effective as the bar that displays percent complete, coupled with the stepping stone. I did add to the stepping stone concept, however, by creating a checklist for each step and including rewards/congratulatory memos for each level (1-5). 
I then watched a webinar in Dr. Atreja's office which discussed the importance of patient engagement. From that webinar, I have two things that I want to incorporate into my app: (1) gamification (2) schedule an appointment.
Afterword, I dabbled in the apps that I downloaded and came across iTriage and was shocked! This app had it all. I will explore it's features in depth tomorrow because it is very immersive and content-heavy. I think that by viewing this app and seeing what made it successful, I can make our HepCure app better.
For tomrrow, I will research gamification and iTriage at the beginning of the day. After lunch, I will research medication/pill apps and develop "my meds."

Today I sat through this webinar at 1pm. It was pretty boring, not going to lie, but I still got some useful concepts that I can learn from. It didn't apply directly to what we are doing, but I did find some applications.
The point of patient engagement is to both inform and involve patients. If patients understand their disease/health better and are actively engaged in their treatment, they are more likely to take care of themselves.
This is something I'm familiar with and this is the direction that health medicine is going in. By involving patients, there are more responsibilities shared between PCPs and patients. In addition, the information is easier to digest.
I read something interesting in "tapworthy apps"...users don't want to have an immersive experience when they use an app, it's something called "microtasking." They want loads of info in short bursts. Users want to be up-to-date with their apps, but still live life. That is why I created the "notifications" screen on the home page. For quick info as the patient/user is running out the door. I can imagine a woman running out the door, hastily putting her coat on, with her app in one hand. She looks at HepCure's home screen and her notification and thinks, "Wow! I completely forgot about my appointment with Dr. Atreja at 3pm! I'll need to rethink my day."
The webinar described the the 4 principles of patient engagement: inform me, engage me, partner with me, and support my e-community. The things mentioned that I do have in my app are: condition specific tools, shared decision making, goals, and self care. However, they also mentioned monitoring wellness with goals, such as walking in a park, eating well, etc. I agree that this would be a great feature for many wellness apps, but my app is focused on Hepatitis C and doing so would fall into the 20% rule that Dr. Atreja always talks about.
To increase consumer engagement, patients should be able to access labs, schedule appointments, and access medication information. My app will do those things, except scheduling appointments will be difficult to implement, but I'll do my best to do so.
A question was asked during the webinar about gamification and it's correlation with engagement. This is something that I've been trying to create in my app, but haven't gotten the best response from the rest of my team. I was hoping to create points with levels, but that would take away from the app, and I agree. Another way I snuck gamification in there is by creating levels with the stepping stones and rewards after completion. I spent a good deal of today trying to make the tracking more fun and engaging, but I ended up sticking to our original plan. I will spend more time tomorrow researching gamification.

Even in the symptom checker, this app is very complex and thought out. It's a marvel!

1. Click the "symptoms" tab
2. An avatar appears
3. Change gender
4. Rotate
5. Click on body part
6. List of symptoms of that body part listed
7. Select one that applies
8. OR you can search for your symptom in the search bar with the keyboard function
9. OR you can search through their glossary of symptoms, arranged alphabetically with A-Z markers
10. Select the symptom that applies to you, I chose "constipation" since it was the first one to appear...the symptoms are arranged based on commonality...I'm telling you, VERY THOUGHT OUT!
11. Causes are listed, choose the one that applies. I chose "low fiber diet"
12. A description, symptoms, tests, treatment, related images, and related videos appear for "low fiber diet" on the right-side of the screen.
13. On the left-side, the following resources are listed based on an activated GPS location: emergency department, urgent care, retail clinic, internal medicine, family practice, pediatric, prescription medication, over the counter medication, estimated cost

I am blown away, this is just the "symptoms" icon. I can't wait to explore the rest!