By Susan Zhu, Brand Manager
December 5, 2011
At Happtique, we have very high expectations for mHealth, which is why we were excited to see that Juniper Research has recently forecast a large increase in mHealth app usage (from 44 million downloads in 2012 to 142 million by 2016). This will undoubtedly result in improved efficiencies for healthcare providers and, more importantly, enhanced care for patients. If we take a look at the some of the pioneers of mHealth, it’s safe to conclude that our optimism is not unfounded. The adoption of mHealth technology is already resulting in significant improvements in healthcare. Here are just 5 examples:
1) Ottawa Hospital in Canada uses over 3,000 iPads for various functions ranging from accessing clinical data to pain management. The hospital has its own software development team of approximately 70 people who have developed a native iPad version of the electronic health record (EHR) software. Additionally, the team develops new apps monthly based on the needs of their clinicians. CIO Dale Potter says, “I have attending physicians who say they feel more engaged than they have in the 25 years they have been practicing.”
2) The University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor uses mobile alarm technology to forward clinical alarms and alert data to mobile devices. The facility has seen improved collaboration within and across departments–regardless of the location of patients or staff. Additionally, the platform reduces the noise levels of alarms and alerts by sending messages directly to caregivers’ mobile phones.
3) The Yale School of Medicine provides students with iPads as part of its effort to save paper and make course materials more accessible. Students can use the devices to view the entire curriculum as well as handle confidential patient health information. The school’s initial expenditure on the iPads was $600,000, but the money saved on printing (an annual cost of approximately $100,000) will cover the cost of the devices in future years.
4) A medical student and blogger, Alex Chamessian, finds the iPad to be extremely beneficial. It essentially puts an entire medical library in his pocket. He uses native apps such as UptoDate, Medscape, and FirstConsult to write History and Physical Examinations, and Epocrates to determine the appropriate dosing for patients. He also incorporates the iPad in patient education as well as his own. According to research done at Abilene Christian University’s ACU Connected mobile learning program, students who annotate text on iPads score 25% higher than their paper-based peers.
5) Parata Systems, a North Carolina-based technology company that automates the prescription fulfillment process for pharmacies, shifted its field service engineers from laptops to iPads and were able to cut overtime payroll costs by 3%. The initial savings alone pretty much covered the cost of the iPads. In addition, Parata Systems saw an increase in client satisfaction as a result of improved communications and customer service.
From the beginning, we’ve always believed in the potential of mHealth, and now we’re thrilled to see the benefits being realized across the healthcare community. We look forward to contributing to this advancing field with our own mHealth efforts.
