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eHealth in 2015 – what’s in store?

08 Dec
eHealth in 2015 – what’s in store?

2015 is set to be a progressive year for eHealth.  Following the momentum built up in 2014, I take a look at the top 4 predictions and eHealth “hot-spots” that deserve the attention of Healthcare strategists in 2015.

 

Personally Controlled Electronic Healthcare Record (PCEHR)

In 2015 expect to see substantial progress in the PCEHR and integration of clinical information. Some of the progress made in 2014 will flow on to impact providers and consumers of Healthcare in 2015. Healthcare providers in particular should already have plans in place to align with the work NEHTA is doing, and if not, get prepared now for change.

The National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA) will offer funding to private hospital groups to begin integrating their systems with the PCEHR. They have released the details of their Private Hospital PCEHR Rapid Implementation Program (RIP), which will contribute towards the technical requirements for uploading and viewing of clinical documents. Release five of the PCEHR will pave the way for NEHTA to work with pathology and diagnostic imaging services to enable provider information systems to send PDF pathology and diagnostic imaging report to the PCEHR.

In Aged Care, 2015 will (hopefully) see the formation of a single client record that aligns the Aged Care Gateway system and the central client record, to the PCEHR.

In Melbourne, Western Health is gearing up to enter phase two of a project to securely deliver notifications from its hospital systems directly into GP desktop practice management software through an SMD-compliant eMessaging Gateway.  This initiative, and others like it, will become more common-place in 2015.

 

Expanding Consumer Choice

Consumer Directed Care (CDC) is set to be more widely integrated in 2015, with a broadening of services offered under this model.  Whilst CDC within the home and community care setting will continue to develop strengthen, residential aged care looks to embrace the same model of handing control to consumers over their choice of providers.

The My Aged Care gateway website for example, could be the “virtual marketplace where consumers and providers – or demand and supply – meet”.   The quote from a speech delivered by Senator Mitch Fifield goes on to say “Trip Advisor style capacities on the My Aged Care website will develop ratings for the quality of providers and their services, according to what matters to consumers, rather than what Departments and providers think they should be”.

CDC for Residential Aged Care is good for consumers, and is currently in the mindset of policy makers.  Residential Aged Care providers would be wise to consider the impacts of this, and think about strategies to best position themselves for the years ahead.

A current challenge is how Healthcare Providers will manage the new CDC reporting requirements. From July 2015 all Home Care Packages will be delivered on a CDC basis, so there is some concern in the industry around the lack of IT capability to deliver on these reporting requirements as July 2015 approaches.

 

Digital Healthcare

In 2015 many facets of healthcare will increasingly be digitised. Healthcare digitisation offers many benefits around clinical workflow automation, storage savings, longevity of records, and transmission and communication of clinical information.

Fully digital hospitals promise connection, integration and digitisation of medical records, x-rays, pathology results, radiology imaging, medications, CT/MRI scans, vital signs and other health information. Digitisation also provides opportunities around big data analytics and business intelligence to gain a broader picture of patients to improve health outcomes.

Other examples of digital healthcare include: doctors using speech recognition software to translate voice instructions directly onto patient records; linking patient meal planning with allergies and conditions (eg diabetes); medication verification and stock supply; and fingerprint biometrics for clinical staff access to rooms and systems.

It is not just hospitals that will benefit from digital healthcare in 2015. In the home care space a clinically validated monitor has recently been released that allows home users to measure blood pressure and heart rate, and connect it wirelessly to a mobile app. QardioArm works with Apple’s HealthKit, which lets users access all their health and wellness information in one place. It also records irregular heart beat history to provide a reference for doctors. This is just one of many examples.

With digitisation of healthcare inevitably on the rise, appropriate management and governance within this new paradigm will be required.  One example that helps pave the way is the release of the “Clinical Images and the Use of Personal Mobile Devices” guide, which was created to assist doctors and medical students in the proper use of personal devices such as smartphones, when taking and transmitting clinical images.

 

Interoperability

Interoperability is essentially an expansion of the PCEHR.

In the medication management space, 2015 may be the year to directly import medication information out of the PCEHR or GP systems straight into Healthcare Providers medication management (or clinical) system.   From a hospital perspective, work needs to be done to address the challenges faced by interoperability between different clinical systems, as well as the challenges in mapping the Australian Medicines Terminology (AMT) to SNOMED CT-AU.

2015 will also see the continued proliferation of wearable devices. A recent survey from Kronos indicates that 30 per cent of Australians use wearable devices in their personal lives. This adoption rate could result in a smooth transition to wearables for health and fitness use. Health and fitness data can be useful in doctor consultations to aid diagnostics, and in the future could be designed as medical devices and for monitoring general health and well-being.   There will be a time where the patient will upload the data and it will end up on the health professional’s screen.  It may not happen in 2015, but it will happen.

Some wearable devices that already exist include glucose meters that allow clinic alerts and remote monitoring; devices that monitor vital signs; devices and apps that allow patients to monitor their diets; and apps to help with medication compliance. Check out my blog “The Mobile eHealth Revolution” for more information.

 
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Posted by on December 8, 2014 in e-health, strategy

 

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The “must have” tools for Managers

19 Nov
The “must have” tools for Managers

What are the “must have” apps, tools and resources that CIO’s and IT Managers can’t live without?

I have compiled a list of some of the most popular and helpful tools that I have found useful over the years. If you have any further suggestions for the Managers Toolkit, I would love to hear from you. I will update the list below with popular suggestions and will add new apps, tools and resources as they are released.

 

 

Time Management

Rescue Time – www.rescuetime.com

  • If you are not sure if you are using your time wisely, the Rescue Time app will send you weekly reports to indicate your time thieves. It runs security in the background of your computer or mobile device and tracks time spent on applications and websites. You will be given detailed reports and data based on your activity.

 

Idea Capture

Evernote – www.evernote.com

  • Evernote is a free tool that allows you to capture all of your ideas, thoughts and images. You can record meetings, interviews, speeches and ideas, create lists, add voice or text attachments and share files with others.

 

ICT Templates and Example Documents

Dokoze – www.dokoze.com

  • Dokoze is a great resource if you need to download high quality document templates and example documents. It is based around a community theme where users can share their own documents to get free or discounted downloads. There is no mandatory sign-up process and is mostly focussed around Information Technology documentation.

 

Task Lists

Remember the Milk (RTM) – www.rememberthemilk.com

Tooledo – www.tooledo.com

Wunderlist – www.wunderlist.com

  • RTM is a web-based task list that has free apps for Android, iPhone, iPad and Blackberry that syncs with your RTM account. You can organise your list by due date, postpone items for later, create recurring items, share tasks or assign tasks with individuals or groups, set priority levels and view the list in a number of ways. Tooledo is also a web-based tool that has basic task list features as well as project manager functions. Wunderlist is a good looking task manager that has free apps for iOS and Android.

 

Project Management

Asana – https://asana.com/

  • Asana is a hybrid task and project manager that has iOS and Android apps, and has various collaboration features for individuals and organisations. Asana is free if you have less than 15 people working on your project.

 

Track Time on Projects

Toggl – www.toggl.com

  • Toggl is a simple time tracking tool that is a great alternative to timesheets. Simply write the task you are working on and start the timer. It tracks tasks via a day-by-day breakdown and gives you an overview of where you are spending your time. Toggl can work online or offline.

 

Mind Mapping

Mind42 – www.mind42.com

  • Mind42 is one of the best free mindmapping apps out there. It is a browser based tool that allows you to manage all your ideas, whether alone, twosome or working together with the whole world. As mind42 runs inside the browser, installing mind mapping tools is no longer needed – just open the browser and launch the application when needed – it behaves like a classical desktop application.

 

File Back-up

Syncback Freeware – www.2brightsparks.com/syncback

  • SyncBackFree allows you to create backups of your computer quickly and efficiently, with clear directions to help even inexperienced users make the right decisions. In addition to creating backups, this program also can synchronize files and create mirror profiles, and you can choose to compress your files or not each time you run a backup.

 

Password Manager

Universal Password Manager (UPM) – http://upm.sourceforge.net/

  • UPM allows you to store usernames, passwords, URLs and generic notes in an encrypted database protected by one master password. UPM is simple, cross platform (Android, Windows, Mac OS X, Linux) and features database syncing across several devices.

 

File Sharing

Dropbox – www.dropbox.com

OneDrive – www.onedrive.com

  • There are many apps available that allow you to transfer data from one device to another. Both Dropbox and OneDrive are free and easy to use.

 

 

 
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Posted by on November 19, 2014 in general

 

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The Mobile eHealth Revolution

21 Aug
The Mobile eHealth Revolution

The mobile e-health landscape is about to be transformed. We are now embarking on an era where consumerisation will drive the proliferation of integrated mobile medical health.

There are already a staggering number of healthcare apps available to consumers, but the piece of the puzzle that will take consumerised healthcare to another level is the integration and usability of applications, systems and devices across the full spectrum of care.

Research suggests that smartphone and tablet shipments are still on the rise. Another metric on the rise relates to the number of seniors going online. In a recent article from Senior Housing News, 71% of seniors go on-line every day.  In addition, tablet ownership among seniors has risen from 2% in 2010 to 25% in 2014. According to the study, the number of seniors going online from their phone has quadrupled from 7% in 2009 to 29% in 2014.

Not only do the families of seniors want to be connected and involved in care, it’s the seniors themselves who are becoming engaged in mobile and internet connectivity.

Further to this, data published on the Intel Healthcare Innovation Barometer demonstrates that we are more ready than ever to embrace technology in monitoring and maintaining our health.  The Intel study showed that:

  • People are more willing to anonymously share their health records or genetic information than their banking information or phone records.
  • Seventy-two percent are receptive to communication technologies that allow them to remotely connect to their doctor.
  • Almost half of respondents (43 percent) globally would trust themselves to monitor their own blood pressure and other basic vitals.
  • Fifty-three percent of people say they would trust a test they personally administered as much or more than if performed by a doctor.

It’s been no secret that Samsung, WebMD, Apple and Google are all investing heavily into health. Their aim is to help consumers see all their health and wellness data in one place, and provide both platform and integration capabilities into the consumer space. The term “ubiquitous connectivity” is often used in this situation; where mobile platforms are used to integrate health data from disparate sources to provide people with a complete integrated view of their health.

The two dominant players in the mobile space are Apple (iOS) and Samsung (Android). They are both ramping up investment from a device and application perspective.  Looking first at the devices, both companies are making use of an increased number of device sensors.  The iPhone had 3 sensors in 2007 – accelerometer, proximity, ambient light. In 2013 the iPhone 5s had 5 sensors, adding a 3-axis gyro and fingerprint sensor. The Samsung Galaxy S in 2010 had 3 sensors – accelerometer, proximity and compass, whereas the 2014 Galaxy S5 has 10 sensors adding gyro, fingerprint, barometer, hall, gesture, heart rate, ambient light.

Secondly, Apple and Google are in a race to have the health and fitness platform of choice.  The Apple Health platform (HealthKit) allows apps that provide health and fitness services to share their data with the new Health app and with each other. A user’s health information is stored in a centralized and secure location and the user decides which data should be shared with your app. Independent programmers can develop additional apps to integrate with Apple Health.

In addition, Apple Health:

  • Displays personal biometric data (heart rate, calories, blood sugar, and cholesterol) from other fitness devices (eg JawBone, Glocose Meter).
  • Provides a single app that collates all the data in an easy to read dashboard.
  • Allows users to share information with doctors and other healthcare professionals.
  • Enables health providers to take advantage of the sensors in iPhone 6 and the iWatch (coming soon).
  • Will soon allow apps to sync with providers electronic health care records, with the aim of seamless integration.

There is no doubt that Apple aims to be the “hub” for health care data. The Apple alliance with IBM will also lead to a significant influx of healthcare mobile apps for the iPhone and iPad.

Google has announced “Google Fit”, which is a health platform similar to Apple Health Kit that allows various apps to share health data for individual users to create a complete picture of their fitness. Whilst the open platform is soon to be released, it looks set to provide developers a single set of API’s to access and store fitness data from apps and sensors. Like Apple, this will eliminate the complexity of accessing multiple sources of information to provide a unified view of fitness activity & overall health.

With the increasing number of seniors going on line and their growing acceptance of technology to help manage and enhance health outcomes, combined with the development of platforms that bring all health data together by integrating apps, hardware and systems, we are positioned for a transformation in electronic healthcare opportunities and management.

So where does this leave us as Healthcare and IT leaders?

  • It’s time for a strategy refresh!!! People of all ages (including the older folk) are ready to embrace technology to improve and maintain their health. Ignore these trends at your own peril, and instead look to develop strategies that leverage mobile health app platforms. Depending on your situation, you may need to weigh up the benefits of building your own independent app versus building an app on an existing health platform.
  • Consider the opportunities for integrated medical records. Look at opportunities to use these mobile platforms to provide a more integrated solution that, at the end of the day, will ultimately assist the end user to view all their medical data in one place.
  • A greater number of sensors and integration points results in more data. As vast amounts of this user-generated data is collected there will be opportunities to monetize that data.
  • Telehealth, remote monitoring, telecare – Patient care will become less complex and more affordable with an increased number of devices and software able to connect and integrate seamlessly.
  • Issues around security, privacy, consent and ethics still need to be considered.

For more information, please feel free to contact me.

iwatch

 

 
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Posted by on August 21, 2014 in e-health, mobility, strategy

 

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Mobile Health Applications – Trends and Predictions

02 Jun

The concept of using mobile applications to manage medical conditions and improve health outcomes is well and truly here.

The 4th mHealth App Developer Economics Study (www.mhealtheconomics.com) conducted in Q1 2014, outlines the major trends and direction relating to the mobile health landscape, and confirms the view that mobile health applications will continue to break new ground in terms of innovation, market penetration and change.

The proliferation of smartphones has provided the medium on which mobile health applications are consumed. If we turn the clock back to 2009, only 13% of all handsets shipped were smartphones. Today, smartphones have become the global number 1 connected device (mostly iOS and Android), whilst tablets are now outselling laptops. This means that, apart from some developing regions, almost everyone in the world has (or will have) a device that could run a mobile health solution.

In the Apple and Android app stores there are more than 100,000 apps within the health category. As the study points out, this is more than double the quantity of mobile health apps listed in the store only 2.5 years ago. More than 30% of all apps that are listed in the Health & fitness and Medical app sections are fitness trackers or exercise guides. The second and third largest groups are Medical Reference (16.6%) and Wellness apps (15.5%). Medical reference apps provide information about drugs, diseases, symptoms and give advice on how to take drugs or what to do in case of experiencing pain. They also show locations of pharmacies and medical centres/doctors. Medical condition management apps represent the 5th largest group of mobile health apps (6.6%).

Some of the predictions from the study participants (mobile health app publishers) paint an interesting picture about the future of the mobile health app market:

  • The main market drivers for health apps over the next 5 years are increasing penetration of capable devices and user/patient demand.
  • The potential show-stoppers are lack of data security and standards, and poor discoverability. This could leave room for specialised mobile health app stores.
  • Android and iOS are the dominant mobile platforms for which mobile health app developers will continue developing their apps in the next 5 years.
  • Fitness apps are believed to diminish in their relative importance. In five-years’ time they are expected to go from 1st to 5th position in terms of business potential. The app categories that have the highest expected market potential in the near future are remote monitoring and consultation apps.
  • The areas that are predicted to have the greatest impact on healthcare include improved outcomes of treatments, self-care of people, slowing down the increase of healthcare costs, improved interaction between patients and doctors, and enabling patients to take better care of their own health.

Many of the most popular mobile health apps today draw data/information from different sources to provide an enriched and comprehensive experience to users. This occurs through the use of “APIs”. These API’s are connectors that allow apps to import or export general health information (e.g., databases for drugs, food, diseases), personal health information (e.g., calorie intake, steps, weight), and medical device information (e.g. from glucometers, blood pressure monitors, heart rate monitors, step tracking bracelets).

Three different categories of vital parameters are captured today are health & fitness tracking data, patient monitoring data, and medical examination data.

pic

With “consumer directed care” models now part of the health landscape, mobile healthcare apps form part of the solution to empower users/patients to take a more active role in their treatment process. The opportunity is ripe for mobile health to form an integral part of the nation’s healthcare strategy.

In the next 5 years there will be increased prevalence of sensor networks (wearable and built-in sensors). Sensors can have a tremendous impact on the mHealth industry and on how patients track their vital data in the future.

Companies like Apple, Google and Samsung are incorporating more and more sensors into their devices. These companies are seeing the potential in mobile health development, and investing heavily. In May 2014, Reuters reported that Apple has been on a biomedical technology hiring spree. Much of the hiring is in sensor technology, an area Chief Executive Tim Cook singled out last years as primed “to explode”. Recent reports suggest that Apple is developing a smart home platform to enter the Internet of Things space and an iOS application called Healthbook to help users track their heart rate, blood pressure and more. Industry insiders say the moves telegraph a vision of monitoring everything from blood-sugar levels to nutrition, beyond the fitness-oriented devices now on the market. Apple has also poached biomedical engineers from companies including Vital Connect, Masimo Corp, Sano Intelligence and O2 MedTech. Masimo is best known for its pulse oximetry device, which non-invasively measures patients’ oxygen saturation, an indicator of respiratory function. Vital Connect focuses on tracking vitals like heart rate and body temperature. O2 Med Tech also is experimenting with biosensors and developing new devices.

“Internet of Things” and “Big Data” anyone?

 
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Posted by on June 2, 2014 in e-health, mobility

 

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e-Health and Mobility – Strategy in a Nutshell

30 Nov

There are some staggering statistics recently released by Forbes regarding smartphones and apps. According to Forbes (www.forbes.com) there will be 1 billion smartphones sold in 2013, which is twice the number of PC’s predicted to be sold that year.  By 2016 there will be 10 billion mobile internet devices used globally, which is 50 times the size it is today.  Between 2010 and 2011 the time spent on mobile apps began to outpace the time spent on the desktop or mobile Web.  In the same time period there was a 91% increase in the time users spent on mobile applications. By 2015, mobile application development projects targeting smartphones and tablets will out-number native PC projects by a ratio of 4-1. Between 2009 and 2014 the market for cloud-based mobile apps is projected to increase by nearly 90%.

So what does all this mean ???

The mobile revolution is well and truly here. Organisations of all sizes need to have developed a solid and robust mobile strategy, or face being left behind by clients and competitors.  Whilst there is still some contention over the best strategic approach to mobile application development, there is no doubt that mobile applications are front and centre in leveraging market opportunities, client engagement, process efficiencies, and strategic innovation.

In a recent blog post I proposed the inclusion of a Mobile Enterprise Application Platform (or MEAP) as an integral part of any mobile strategy. Of course, this particular strategy depends on the nature of the organisation and its key mobility objectives; however MEAP should not be overlooked when considering a long term view to deployment of multiple different mobile applications, using multiple back-end systems, across any device.

For medium to large sized healthcare organisations, a MEAP based mobile strategy has several advantages over a natively developed application, which is often built with a pre-defined range of objectives, or based on one back-end system.  In this scenario, a mobile platform approach is superior because it:

–          Enables the organisation to customise a solution into fit exact requirements, tailored to the business needs and processes

–          Can provide a competitive advantage, as no one else has that particular mobile application

–          Ensures that changes to the mobile solution are immediate, flexible and more cost effective

–          Is not restricted by the type of mobile device. Mobile platform applications built using HTML5 ensure availability on any mobile device

–          Aligns to organisational “bring your own device” policies (if applicable)

–          Ensures that any development code (apps or API’s) can be re-used to help build other apps

–          Fits into the organisations long term strategies and e-health vision to provide mobile solutions for other uses, for example

      • Bedside medication management
      • Bedside electronic progress notes and electronic care planning
      • Capturing of client and staff incidents, risks, compliance and improvement initiatives
      • Mobile business intelligence and analytics
      • Mobile clinical assessments
      • Information management (eg, mobile access to policies or corporate documents)
      • Others ???

The above examples are likely to need data integrated from multiple in-house systems, which plays into the hands of a mobile platform. While organisations may not require mobility solutions for all the above examples right now, establishing a mobile platform caters for immediate AND long-term organisational use of mobility, even if the future state is not known.  The mobility platform approach has already harnessed recognition across all the major ICT industry research groups including Gartner and Forrester, and is a key component of the ICT Strategy toolkit.

 
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Posted by on November 30, 2012 in e-health, mobility

 

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Mobile app strategy – what approach is right for you ?

28 Sep

The mobile application revolution is here.  Apple’s app store reached 25 billion downloads this year and offers more than 700,000 apps. In addition, there are more than 600,000 apps available on the android store. Organisations are realising huge potential by utilising apps to entice customers, create market awareness, provide information, remain relevant, be competitive, increase efficiencies, and enhance productivity.  With the popularity and promise of mobile applications, organisations who fail to have a defined mobile strategy will not realise the competitive edge that come with the mobile application revolution.

A key part of an organisations mobile strategy is consideration for how mobile and web applications can be built and delivered. The three most popular approaches are:

1.  Native App

  • A native application is specifically developed for a particular device and mobile operating system (eg, the app is solely developed for either android, apple, blackberry, or windows devices/systems). Native apps provide the best user experience, performance, and access to device functions (eg camera, contacts, etc)

2.  Mobile Web

  • Mobile web apps can run in most browsers on most devices. For example, a web app for an iphone would run in Safari. A web app for a windows mobile phone would run in Internet Explorer. The disadvantage is that they are limited by the capabilities of the browsers they run in, so are currently unable to access all the features and functions on the local device (eg camera, geolocation, etc). The app itself isn’t actually downloaded onto the device, so there is no software or app to install. Mobile web apps have inferior performance compared to native apps.

3.  Hybrid

  • Hybrid apps provide the best of both worlds. Like mobile web apps, hybrid apps can run in most browsers on most devices on the single code base, and gives access to all of the device features.
 

Native

Mobile Web

Hybrid
App performance

Excellent

Good

Very Good
Development speed

Difficult

Fast

Moderate
Can run on multiple devices / platforms

No

Yes

Yes
Device access (camera, gyroscope, accelerometer, etc)

Full access

Partial Access

Full Access
Offline access

Yes

Yes

Yes
Reuse source code for other applications

No

Yes

Yes
Allows for “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD)

No

Yes

Yes
Advantages Great performance.

Rich user interface

Can use all device features

 App runs on any device

Fast development

Simple maintenance

No need to install new software

Updates appear automatically

All users on same version

 App runs on any device

Fast development

Can use all device features

All users on same version
Disadvantages One app developed per platform/device

Users must manually download & install app updates

Users may ignore updates, resulting in different app versions

 Has limited device access

Slower performance

 Very good performance, but not as good as Native

The most appropriate mobile development approach for an organisation depends on the requirements and intended use of the app. As discussed in an earlier blog, research firm Gartner developed a concept called “the rule of three”, where they encourage companies to consider the mobile platform (web/hybrid) approach to mobility when they need their mobile solutions to:

–          Support three or more mobile business applications

–          Support three or more mobile operating systems

–          Integrate with at least three back-end data sources

So the choice of app development strategy you make depends on what you wish to do with the app, your organisations long term vision, the underlying business and functional requirements and intended use of the app.

 
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Posted by on September 28, 2012 in mobility

 

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Do we really need to upgrade to the iPhone 5 ?

19 Sep

It’s that time of year when employees work phones take a swim in the pool, get run over by the car, eaten by the dog or are accidently dropped from a great height. Yes, the new iteration of the iPhone is soon to be released, and employees will be keen to get their hands on the latest smartphone from Apple. Whether many of us like it or not, with each new release of the iphone or ipad, organisations are becoming more entrenched with these devices. A survey from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners found that 20% of consumers who brought the 3rd generation iPad plan to use the device for business. So it’s only a matter of time before the iPhone 5 makes its way into organisations.

The question is, will the iPhone 5 actually be better for business ?

With a faster processer, more memory and a bigger (4 inch) screen, you may argue that we will be more easily able to consume corporate data. A bigger screen will definitely help with looking at corporate information, business data, dashboards, emails, analytics (not to mention games and the internet). The iPhone 5 is also more capable of streaming media and consuming media-rich mobile apps, and is a more robust and sturdy device thanks to the aluminum backing (which may or may not help with breakages when the iPhone 6 is released !!!).

Are these improvements enough to justify the price premium over purchasing a iPhone 4 or iPhone 4s ?

The premium we currently pay is around $250 for the honor of having a iPhone 5 rather than an iPhone 4. The answer relates to many factors including how the device is used, the content that is consumed on the device and the processes/rules in place around purchasing. An iPhone 5 will certainly satisfy the hunger of those Executives who relish new technology, however making the switch is most likely to be a decision based on individual business circumstances. It may be challenging for organisations to justify the price premium against the benefits received for moving to the iPhone 5.

 
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Posted by on September 19, 2012 in mobility

 

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Consumerisation of Telehealth

02 Aug

According to a 2010 study by Access Economics, Telehealth is a subset of e-health that includes the application of IT and telecommunications for diagnostic and treatment services, educational and support services and the organisation and management of health services.

Looking at this wide definition, it is interesting to examine the consumerisation of telehealth, and the role being played within the mobile applications space for every-day users. According to MobiHealthNews latest report, there are more than 10,000 “medical” apps available for iPhones, Android, Blackberry, Nokia, Palm, etc. Whilst the largest group of consumer health apps are cardio fitness apps, there are also thousands more apps that fit into the “health & fitness” category that are not actually health, medical or fitness related. Despite this, the quantity of health apps for consumers is growing at a steady rate.

Popular health apps are used for counting calories, gauging nutrition, tracking workouts, calculating body mass index and quitting smoking. Our humble smartphone device offers a relatively low-cost and real-time method to assess disease, movement, images, behaviour, social interactions, and a host of other health related information. Much like the consumerisation of smartphones into businesses, there is also a gradual consumerisation of telehealth via smartphones.

There is significant further potential in using smartphones to improve the health and wellbeing of clients. Remote monitoring, at home triage services, teleconsultations, medication management, outpatient services – could all contribute to improving health related outcomes.

Unfortunately there are still many obstacles in the way that is preventing higher penetration and enhanced mobile application services to clients. Cost, usability, security, privacy all play a role, however the role of mobile apps in healthcare isn’t set to disappear any time soon, so it may pay to embrace this technology and plan it’s place in your strategy, rather than hoping for a fast exit.

 
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Posted by on August 2, 2012 in Uncategorized

 

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