3 Benefits Of Mobile Devices In The Healthcare Industry

Smartphones have become quite a significance in our daily lives, using them for practically any form of communication or connectivity possible. Similarly, their advances in technology have influenced their importance in many businesses too, including healthcare.

According to the mobile health survey, more than over 75% of physicians now use mobile devices at work on a weekly basis. This highlights that when mobile devices are applied correctly with management systems and tools, they can play a crucial role in healthcare. Here’s how it has.

Communication between staff members

Most significantly that mobile devices are used within healthcare is the ability for staff members to be able to communicate with each other through secure messaging. There are of course many user apps out there that support the use of calling and messaging, but it’s essential for healthcare practices to protect patient data. There are several apps out there that together use several forms of communications that help staff members such as, calling, texting, screen sharing and video calling. Some examples include Spok and Halo.

Patient Communication

It’s always important for healthcare professionals to keep in touch with their patients for on-going healthcare matters. Smartphones and tablets have enabled them to engage with their patients via secure messaging, patient portals and telemedicine. These communication forms can increase patient satisfaction, loyalty and their health outcomes.

Secure messaging is also a great way to manage patient care, ensuring that they stick with their schedule and arrange appointments when it’s necessary. Patient portals have also been a significant development within healthcare – they allow patients to download, view and transmit their health information online. This provides patients with easy accessibility and convenience for their information.

Mobile EHR Applications

Electronic health records have played a big part in efficiency of the healthcare industry and being able to manage patients and their data. EMR workflow is increasingly streamlined from EHR due to time-saving functions such as photo capture and secure access to patient data.

One example of this is Mobius Clinic which promotes their app as a “remote control for your EMR”. It helps to optimise EMR workflow using many features to ensure smoother interaction between physicians and patients and higher approval rates for insurers.

Challenges

Whilst we’ve seen many benefits of mobile being adopted by healthcare providers, there has also been many challenges that physicians have come across that still concerns them:

• Does it work?
• Will I get paid?
• Is there a big risk to being sued?
• Will it work in my practice?

This is why it’s important to understand the technologies available and then see how they can apply to your practice, before considering these adoptions. Physicians can look to other providers such as dental experts and breast implant removal surgeons to see how mobile has worked in their practice, and see how it works for them.