Mobile Technologies in Health Care Progress
Medicine is the field that has been very intensive since its inception. Throughout history, technology has proved to be the basic and important section in medicine that has provided the storage and access of enormous volume of data and information. This has resulted to the current medical practice, which is developed from the Electronic-Health Foundation. Through electronics, medical journals are rapidly accessed and disseminated, and also ensure the efficient patient data storage. This is very convenient to reference the information that is stored in websites and books online. Medicine has been the major beneficiary in the digitalized Electronic Health revolution. Due to the digital innovations, the delivery of information to medical staff has been improved, as doctors are no longer tied to the machines like desktop computers. The evolution of smart phones in digital technology has enabled the rapid access to the creating and storing materials more conveniently.
Smartphones are more advantageous than other technologies due to their numerous characteristics i.e. stable Internet connectivity, power to compute complex applications, portability, and that it is becoming a basic need to the majority of doctors. In a survey conducted in June 2011, the wireless devices penetration in the US population indicated 102% implying that the wireless devices exceeded the total population. Although not all wireless devices are smart phones, the estimation from the survey showed that 75% of the staff in medical practice use smartphones (Bhatikar, Mahajan & DeGroff, 2002).
The life of an infectious disease physician may be simplified by the use of a smartphone, though there must be a cost for upgrading the device. The smart phones can greatly help in maintaining multiple calendars, and even locating many contacts, like in the office. It is very effective in synchronizing the Bluetooth or the USB connection. They also have a 2-way pager’s mechanism that allows messaging and emailing to various people, like friends and family. Voice mail is very common for some medical practitioners/physicians, although, it needs some settings to ensure the quality service
Although smartphone has rapidly increased the transition of mobile health through e-health, there is more promise in the market due to the introduction of other mobile technologies, like tablets that are mainstreaming the health sector. The Apple iPad has also been brought to the market, and it is overweighing the tablets with great speed, as they are now used for various purposes, such as reference, medical education, education material, research projects, and material storage.
Significance of Mobile Applications
Technology advancement has enabled the production of the specialized devices that are either compared to small gadgets like mobile phones, or large devices that are cumbersome like the ultra sound equipment, and scanners, among others.
Mobile health means using the mobile device in medical and public health practice. It is always in reference to mobile communication gadgets, like tablet computers, mobile phones, and APDs for the provision of health services. The applications in the mobile health comprise the use of mobile devices to deliver the medical care information to researchers, staff, and patients. Due to this, smart phones have got a lot of attention in managing diseases. The use of the text messages has been engaged to send patients’ reminders. This is well-demonstrated in the program meant for the pregnant mothers, known as the Text4Bay campaign.
The physician-patient communication can also be beneficial. Nusbaum, MD, the founder of mobile application, puts it so powerfully that the great importance of mobile applications would be very efficient in communication between the doctor and patient, as it would streamline their communication. The mobile health communication is essential, as it enables secure messaging by the use of some mobile applications from the doctor to the patient and vice versa. This facilitates the doctors to access the vital information they require from the patient. Through the mobile health, the patient is able to secure an appointment with a doctor through the mobile application with the help of HIPAA compliant system. Through the efficient application, the doctor is able to review the lab results in a smartphone, and share the results with the patient not just from the office. This mode of communication reduces mistakes, since some apps allow patients to scan and fill forms online, like the insurance and driving license. This keeps the patients’ information, in order to form a part of the health profile of the sick person.
Furthermore, the study of Abraham (2007) established that the patients who use emails as one of the applications to their mobile phones in communicating with their doctors realize a statistically enhanced improvement in their healthcare measures. Therefore, the applications on the mobile health allow patients to take part in the disease management. Mobile health application provides many options to patients, especially the diabetic mobile health application that contains software that provides a medication adherence program, and also the data to physician for the blood glucose transmission (Abraham, 2007).
Medical mobile technology, if well engaged, can greatly improve and ensure decent monitoring of the health records of a patient. A practitioner will be able to know one’s expectations in good time and use the limited time in the full amount. The healthcare systems of the countries that are highly developed like Israel, European countries and the United States are due to the enhanced technology of mobile health, being among the primary consideration. The issues regarding readmissions and adverse drug events are very limited in the developed healthcare systems (Abraham, 2007).