Smartphone health data slammed

A major study into the use of mobile phone data as a tool for predicting clinical decisions, came to a scathing conclusion, characterising the practice as "voodoo machine learning". The widespread use of smartphones to collect healthcare data has been thrown into doubt by a couple of recent studies. In some fields, such as the management of chronic diseases and mental health monitoring smartphones have enabled a greater level of patient self-control, and personalised clinical intervention. Success in one area, however, does not imply success in all – especially as smartphone health apps are often rolled out before evidence of their effectiveness has been rigorously analysed. A major study into the use of mobile phone data as a tool for predicting clinical decisions, released in June, came to a scathing conclusion, characterising the practice as "voodoo machine learning".