Natália Lemos, Cândida Sofia Machado and Cláudia Cardoso
The rapid advancement of technology has transformed the health-care industry and enabled the emergence of m-Health solutions such as health apps. The viability and success of…
Abstract
Purpose
The rapid advancement of technology has transformed the health-care industry and enabled the emergence of m-Health solutions such as health apps. The viability and success of these apps depends on the definition of a monetization model appropriate to their specificities. In this sense, the purpose of this paper is to study the mechanisms of monetization of health apps, to stablish how alternative revenues determine if a health app is to be free or paid.
Design/methodology/approach
Probability models are used to identify the factors that explain if a health app is free or paid.
Findings
Results show that the presence of alternative monetization mechanisms negatively impacts the likelihood of a health app being paid for. The use of personal data to customize advertising (the monetization of “privacy capital”) or the inclusion of ads on the app are alternative means of monetization with potential to decrease the likelihood of a health app being paid for. The possibility of in-app purchases has a lower negative impact on the probability of a health app being paid for. The choice of platform to commercialize an app is also a strategic decision that influences the likelihood of an app being paid for.
Originality/value
This work stands out for bringing together the two largest platforms present in Portugal and for focusing on the perspective of revenue and monetization of health apps and not on the perspective of downloads.
Details
Keywords
Erika Lisboa, Ricardo Corrêa Gomes and Humberto Falcão Martins
Erick da Luz Scherf, Marcos Vinicius Viana da Silva and Janaina S. Fachini
The purpose of this paper is to explore how the COVID-19 pandemic has been managed in Brazil, especially at the Federal Administrative level, with the focus being on the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore how the COVID-19 pandemic has been managed in Brazil, especially at the Federal Administrative level, with the focus being on the implications for human rights and public health in the country.
Design/methodology/approach
The research is built on a qualitative design made up of a case-study and review of the literature and is based on inductive reasoning.
Findings
Main conclusions were that: by not making sufficient efforts to safeguard the lives of Brazilians or to strengthen public health institutions amid the pandemic, Bolsonaro’s Administration may be violating the rights to life and health, among others, by omission; it was demonstrated that the President has worked unceasingly to bulldoze anti-COVID-19 efforts, which can be better explained through the concepts of necropolitics and neoliberal authoritarianism.
Research limitations/implications
One of the limitations to this research is that this paper was not able to discuss more thoroughly which other human rights norms and principles (apart from the right to health, life and the duty to protect vulnerable populations) have possibly been violated amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. Overall, this research can help expand the literature on human rights in health management during and after emergency times.
Originality/value
This paper focuses on recent events and on urgent matters that need to be addressed immediately in Brazil. This study provides an innovative health policy/human rights analysis to build an academic account of the ongoing pandemic in the largest country in South America.