5 replies to this topic

[Michael]

All:

So, I recently got my latest rounds of blood tests (pleased with the results, especially seeing my IGF-1 plunge from high-normal to low after bringing my protein down and in the process increasing the ratio of vegetable protein), and decided I was tired of digging thru' lab reports year-by-year to compare anylates, and looked into a PHR. Afterhaving discounted a few on various grounds, I looked at the ones that have gotten the most buzz: MS HealthVault and Google Health. I signed up, signed in, and started using them.

To my surprise, they both suck! Neither had more than a fraction of the features I'd expected; they let you do weight, glucose, and not much else: no cholesterol profile, HbA1c, thyroid, liver profile, CBC, etc, let alone IGF-1, CRP, testosterone, etc.

True, Google Health will let you add as many user-specified anylates as you like, but YOU have to name each one and its unit of measure; moreover, teh actual input procedure is tedious, and you can't input the results from a single testing session together (ie, look at your sheet for a test on a given date), but have to go in test-by-test individually, re-entering the date for each and every separate anylate individually. Plus, you can't interconvert units. The USA uses different units for most major health anylates than the rest of the planet does (eg, cholesterol is mg/dL instead of mmol/L), so if you have lab tests from the USA and also from a lab located anywhere else in the world, you have to whip out a calculator, look up the conversion factor, and do the math yourself -- and then do it again, if you ever want to compare your data with results from studies in another jurisdiction! This is ridiculous enough for the many, many cases where the whole assay is user-specified, but it is even the case for the few default anylates.

HealthVault is even worse: it has just a couple more anylates, and no way to add more unless you're downloading them from one of their corporate affiliates' websites or tools: their "Lab Test" widget does nothing more than record that you went in for a lab test on a given day!

I want a PHR system that is secure, is not run by a super-obscure company that could collapse tomorrow, and has an existing system to let you plug in numbers for all of the reasonably widely-used tests, plus customization tools in case you have some really obscure ones. And it would have the anylate unit of measures already defined, with the ability to interconvert reporting units (eg, mmol/L --> mg/dL & vice versa) with a simple radio button or dropdown; also, a way to enter the whole mess of them for a given date from one centralized location, so that when I go in for lab tests I can enter ALL the values for a given date in one screen, rather than having to flip from one widget to the next for each one.

This really isn't hard, and I am just amazed that the giants of the Internet can't manage it.

Anyone out there know of such a system? Alternatively, anyone got a bug to MAKE one ...?

Edited by Michael, 02 March 2011 - 12:45 PM.

[Donnie]

I took a quick look at Google Health.

You could pay someone else to input and convert the data for you here

If that's not an option, I would mail your concerns to Google. I know it seems meaningless mailing complaints to a large corporation but I'm not sure that's the case with Google and a service which is still in its infancy.

[pamojja]

Plus, you can't interconvert units. The USA uses different units for most major health anylates than the rest of the planet does (eg, cholesterol is mg/dL instead of mmol/L), so if you have lab tests from the USA and also from a lab located anywhere else in the world, you have to whip out a calculator, look up the conversion factor, and do the math yourself -- and then do it again, if you ever want to compare your data with results from studies in another jurisdiction! This is ridiculous enough for the many, many cases where the whole assay is user-specified, but it is even the case for the few default anylates.

I use spreadsheet software to track these parameters. So I have to look up a conversion factor only once.

Instead of cron-o-meter I use this for tracking diet and supplement intake too (though very tedious to set it up in the beginning).

Edited by pamojja, 07 March 2011 - 01:36 PM.

[Sillewater]

Any updates on this. I'm looking for something easy to use too.

[fql]

I've been thinking about making one over the next few months.  What would you want?

[MizTen]

You might take a look at VidaOne. It runs on multiple platforms, including mobile devices and some health monitor hardware devices and syncs well. There are a number of fields that are user configurable and a few custom fields can be added. You can also use it for food and nutrient tracking. It has an excellent, fine grained sport and fitness tracker that works with GPS. I've used it for years, running on my Windows desktop and Android devices. I used it for tracking effects of supplements and nootropics. No other app comes close.

http://www.vidaone.com/

A spreadsheet works well for lab tests, if that's all you need.