Use of Mobile Apps and Technology in Healthcare

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With the advent of smartphones, a transformation has been effected in every area of life. With a remarkable change in personal habits, preferences, and choices, many sectors have also seen major change in the light of the mobile boom. The healthcare industry is one such domain which is currently in the midst of a mobile transformation- one which is already apparent and showing signs of becoming a long-term feature.

With immense market penetration, smartphones and mobile apps are gradually making their presence felt in the healthcare sector. According to independent research, it has been found that eight out of ten doctors regularly use their smart devices while at work, and most of them use these devices for purposes that have a direct influence on patient care. As mobile technology has become better, more feature-rich and more portable, their popularity among medical personnel has also increased significantly. Currently, they present a cost-effective solution for those in the medical professional for most data access, communication and other important needs.

Important Uses in Healthcare

Mobile apps and technology now find prolific use in the field of healthcare. Both general use and dedicated, specialized applications created specifically for medical professionals have found substantial use in the field. Daily requirements like the maintenance and access of patient records, consulting and communication, patient management, training, medical education, time management, references and gathering valuable medical information are all being satisfied through the use of specific mobile apps and technology. Here are some compelling reasons behind this phenomenon –

• The Availability of Mainstream Apps – With thousands of mobile apps being developed and released on a daily basis, there is now at least one or more mobile apps for every conceivable requirement in the medical profession. Whether you need an app for calculating drug doses (Medscape mobile app – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.medscape.android) or a comprehensive database to store medical records of patients (mMR mobile app – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.klouddata.mmr.main&hl=en), there is an app for everything.

Essentially, these apps have transformed the medical profession and added value to smartphones as viable medical aid devices. They are actively helping doctors and physicians to manage, monitor and store health information and this utility has brought the use of apps to the mainstream.

• Improvement in Workflow – One of the reasons why doctors around the world are playing a willing part in the change is the ease with which mobile technology can be integrated into their workflow. Most medical personnel already own smart devices, and most medically oriented apps are flexible enough to correctly function on a variety of difference devices.

This enables medical professionals to bring their information and capabilities to the point of care, and use their mobile devices for better management of time and patients. Services like remote patient monitoring (https://itunes.apple.com/in/app/airstrip-patient-monitoring/id399665195?mt=8) and mobile-assisted ultrasound (http://www.mobisante.com/) are fast gathering popularity.

• Better Patient Engagement – Mobile technology has also transformed the relationship between doctors and patients. The technology can be successfully used to store information about individual patients’ physiological, environmental and lifestyle factors, and doctors can use this information to help them manage their own health with smooth exchange of information. With mobile technology, doctor-patient interactions are no longer limited to face-to-face sessions.

Do let us know your views on which other areas in healthcare have been impacted by this radical technology disruptor.