Smartphones, tablet PCs, web pads and many more devices are becoming more and more popular in hospitals and other organizations of our sector. Users are embracing the benefits of accessing, processing, and communicating (patient) information anywhere, anytime. Technology supporting mobility in healthcare was one of the top agenda items at Medica 2011, the World Forum for Medicine in Düsseldorf/Germany. Individual company presentations and association-driven “mHealth” pavilions as well as discussions at the Medica Media Forum focused on this trendy topic.
In Hall 15, where much of the healthcare IT exhibits at Medica were showcased, CTIA – the US-based International Association for the Wireless Telecommunications Industry – sported its second Wireless Health Pavilion.
Finding new efficiencies and saving costs are key drivers for the adoption of mobile technology inside and outside hospitals, summarized John Walls (›Fig. 1). According to the VP Communications, CTIA, delivering better care is another aim which mobile IT can help care providers achieve by making the right information available at the right time and place. The increasing familiarity of healthcare workers with the functionality of consumer devices, and the multitude of easy-to-use applications out there, is driving adoption in healthcare. Critical factors for the success of dedicated products, added Walls, are ease of navigation, and ease of use in general. This holds true also for applications enabling, e.g., the monitoring of patients after their stay at the hospital.
Care for the chronically ill, e.g. cardiac monitoring, is a good example for current applications. Blood glucose levels, blood pressure and many other vital data can be monitored remotely using mHealth tools; enhanced compliance by patients can save a significant portion of the billions spent on care for these conditions, Walls stated in Düsseldorf. Data can be matched with patient profiles, triggering alarms and enabling immediate action wherever necessary.
A recent study conducted by market analysts from Manhattan Research demonstrated that 81% of physicians in the U.S. use smartphones or tablets. Cumbersome regulatory approval processes in the U.S. and elsewhere are among hurdles which slow down the unleashing of the power of dedicated mHealth solutions, outlined the association executive.