The Use of Mobile Devices in Healthcare

Michael Leavy, the Managing Director of Home Healthcare Adaptations, a family-run company that specializes in adapting homes for the elderly and less-abled, explains for Healthy Lombard below how the rising use of mobile devices in healthcare is forming a new frontier in medicine.

In recent times, a wide range of professions have started to use mobile devices in their daily work; the healthcare sector is no exception to this. Mobile health (usually shortened to mHealth) technologies have enabled healthcare professionals to provide a superior standard of care to their patients.

What is mHealth?

The term “mHealth” refers to the use of mobile devices (e.g. smartphones or tablets) in medical care. In order to deliver a diverse range of services, mHealth technologies typically make use of smartphone functionalities such as SMS messaging, applications, web browsing, Bluetooth connectivity and more.

The Rapid Rise of mHealth Technologies

The mHealth industry has shown phenomenal growth globally. Powered by constant innovations and increasing global connectivity, mHealth technology has become embedded in the lives of patients and professionals alike. According to a report from Market Research Engine, the mHealth industry will achieve a global value of $60 billion this year.

How Are Healthcare Professionals Using Mobile Technology?

A whopping 80% of healthcare professionals state that they use mobile devices every day as part of their work. Some examples of tasks that can be completed with the aid of mHealth tech include:

• Information management
• Time management
• Health record maintenance
• Communications
• Reference
• Clinical decision-making
• Patient monitoring
• Medical education & training

What Are the Benefits of mHealth Technology?

mHealth technology is designed to streamline time-consuming and laborious administrative processes. This improves the efficiency of healthcare facilities, makes healthcare workers’ jobs easier and enhances the patient experience.

The use of mobile devices helps to improve data management and communication between medical professionals. This saves much time on administrative tasks and accelerates the treatment process. By digitizing patient records, sensitive data is less likely to be lost, destroyed or mishandled.

Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash