Throughout the ages, doctors have had a need to stay in touch with their patients, staff and colleagues on a regular basis, but never has it been easier than in modern times with the ongoing current mobile application development and inventions. The clipboard the doctor used the tote from room to room has almost become obsolete, replaced by the iPad and Android tablets, instead.
With the amazing capabilities found in small forms of digital technologies, the medical industry has wholeheartedly embraced this new found way of communication. Now known as mHealth, it is defined as the use of mobile and wireless devices, such as the smartphone and ipads, to improve healthcare, services and research.
According to a study conducted by Manhattan Research, 81% of all physicians currently use a smartphone in their daily lives. The applications are seemingly endless that allow physicians to run their practices, manage their caseloads and prescribe medications. In the past, the smartphone and laptop were experimental, but today, they have gone straight into mainstream usage, becoming almost a necessity, with many doctors taking it a step further and utilizing the iPad for further mobility and flexibility.
Today’s patients expect answers immediately and physicians and their healthcare staffs are aiming to provide them with them with these solutions. The role of the Internet in a person’s life has the average patient researching their symptoms before they ever go into the doctor’s office. Many feel they have a solution for the doctor before they ever even speak to them. With instant access to various programs, applications and services, physicians can direct their patients to relevant information, medication and hopefully, cures to whatever ails them. Also becoming obsolete, thanks to mHealth applications are prescription pads. Doctors can simply pull out a stylus from their iPad, press a few buttons and a prescription is automatically faxed to the pharmacy of their choice. Life has become automatic.
With mobile testing and production of applications continuing in the marketplace, consumers and physicians are expected to be the winners. The speed in which the applications hit the market are expected to increase and the prices are expected to be competitive, leaving everyone to wonder just what the next biggest development to hit the market is going to be.
