How do mobile technologies improve patient care in healthcare?
The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the value of mobile health (mhealth) technology, which is still an essential tool for connecting with patients. Mobile health (mHealth) is described as "medical and public health practice assisted by mobile technology, such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants, wireless devices, and patient monitoring devices" by the World Health Organization (WHO).
MHealth and digital patient engagement are being driven by the rising use of smartphones and other mobile devices. Medical transcription outsourcing assists healthcare practitioners in maintaining accurate and timely electronic medical records in light of new regulations providing patients access to their clinical notes, test results, and other medical data through online portals.
Digital tools are used to engage and empower patients, provide a variety of medical and educational materials, and lessen the need for in-person visits to a hospital or healthcare facility. 54% of people want to use their smartphones to contact healthcare practitioners, according to IT giant Accenture.
According to a Research analysis, the size of the worldwide mHealth industry, which was estimated to be worth USD 50.7 billion in 2021, is anticipated to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.0% from 2022 to 2030. The research names the following as the major market forces:
- increasing emphasis on employing wearables and smart gadgets
- to improve individual health and fitness
- Internet and smartphone accessibility is expanding
- a greater understanding of mhealth technology by the general population a switch to patient-centric and preventive methods from traditional healthcare procedures
- usage of cell phones among teenagers and adults has increased
- increasing use of mHealth platforms and technologies by healthcare professionals and patients
Other factors driving the use of mhealth technology include the growing use of mobile health apps for remote patient monitoring, government commitment to digital health, and physicians' positive attitudes toward real-time patient care.
How Mobile Apps Encourage Patient Participation
By encouraging people to take an active role in their health and promoting informed decision-making by patients and healthcare professionals, patient engagement enhances health outcomes. Patient engagement has advanced thanks to mobile technology.
1. Removing obstacles to communication:
There is a critical workforce shortage in the healthcare sector. A severe nursing shortage has a substantial impact on patient outcomes and care, as well as causing disruptions to vital services. With the use of mobile technology, healthcare professionals may quickly contact patients as well as one another and each other.
Utilizing mobile health technologies, patients may rapidly send secure messages, arrange appointments, and locate healthcare providers nearby. Healthcare practitioners can send reminders for appointments by using messaging services like Short Message Service (SMS) and Multimedia Message Service (MMS), which are efficient, simple, and reasonably priced.
2. Incorporates wearables:
To track a person's health, wearable gadgets like smartwatches, smart glasses, and other fitness trackers are worn on the body. They keep track of calorie intake, arrange reminders to take medications, record vital signs, save personal health information, and track physical activity like daily step count. Mobile health apps may now be used with ease on smartwatches and other devices, and their popularity is rising.
3. Access to telehealth services:
This is made possible by mobile devices, which make it simple for patients to connect to telehealth services. When physical office visits were limited due to COVID-19, telemedicine kept healthcare providers in contact with their patients. According to Google, 90% of doctors now use telemedicine services, up from just 32% prior to the pandemic in August 2021. Up to 85% of American citizens now own a smartphone, up from 81% in 2019, according to Pew Research Center, making mobile an excellent choice for video consultations with doctors. Patients can receive primary care for a variety of diseases as well as guidance on how to self-manage their health using e-health or m-health. Among the telehealth services are:
1) Virtual appointments with a doctor, a counselor for mental health, or a nurse. Minor ailments like migraines, skin disorders, diabetes, depression, anxiety, colds, coughing, and COVID-19 are assessed and treated through online video or phone talks.
2) Remote monitoring: Wearable gadget data can be sent using mobile devices. Mobile apps can be used by a doctor or nurse practitioner to write prescriptions or set reminders for taking medications, exercising, etc.
4. Supports patient portal usage and access:
A smartphone health app will be used by almost four out of ten patient portal users in 2020, according to data from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS). Patients can access their medical records and care plans through mobile patient portal apps. Users can evaluate and adjust their medications using these applications, which track medications and allergies.
Patient portal apps (i.e. iTranscript360) that enable online bill payment increase patient convenience. Pre-visit assessments allow patients to reduce their time in the clinic by completing them before they come to the office.
According to a source, mobilizing the patient portal greatly increased patient involvement and activation rates. The patients were more interested and frequently logged into the app to check the messages and updates we were sending them when they received notifications straight to their phones.
Patients have the option to download their patient portal data into a centralized mobile health record using Apple Health Records for iOS smartphones and CommonHealth for Android devices.
Innovative mHealth initiatives are supporting strong patient satisfaction and engagement. Using mobile technology to engage patients can enhance prevention, treatment, and follow-up, leading to fewer readmissions, healthier lifestyles, and improved patient outcomes. By ensuring proper documentation of all types of reports, medical transcription services may free up doctors to concentrate on delivering the finest telemedicine and in-person care possible.
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