The Dawn of the “Super Mobile” Clinician

There seems to be no doubt that the adoption of technology into clinical settings has the potential to make a clinic more efficient and improve the quality of care.  Healthcare professionals use technology to enhance clinical decision making, to retrieve health information and to monitor patient outcomes.  Wider adoption of such tools will inevitably transform the health care process and begin to repair a broken and fragmented health system.

 The introduction of smartphones and tablet computers has been an important catalyst of innovation. Products like the iPhone and iPad have literally reinvented the way we communicate and manage our daily lives.  From corporations to local businesses, use of these devices has revolutionized the way industries communicate with themselves and, ultimately, their customers.

 What about healthcare?  Are clinical settings adopting smartphones and tablet computers to make their practices better and improve experiences for their patients?  Are physicians buying into this new wave of technology?  We assume doctors are technophobic and seldom use these devices.  

Well, think again.  A new generation of physicians are embracing mobile technology and incorporating smartphones and tablets into their practices at an accelerating pace.  A recent survey by the physician training site Quantia Communications revealed that physicians are adopting both the use of smartphones and tablets in their practices at a very high rate and this rate of adoption actually transcends years of practice (1).  The study defines these doctors as “Super Mobile” physicians or those who use both smartphones and tablet devices to enhance their clinical practice.  Interestingly, 25% of physicians who responded to the survey say that they use both smartphones and tablet devices for their work.  They are using these devices to access decision-making tools, learn about new treatments, look up reference material, and handle patient information.  Moreover, 80% of physicians who responded to the survey say that they own a mobile device capable of downloading applications to help them in their clinical practices.  The study also points out that 44% of physicians who do not currently have a mobile device with these capabilities plan to purchase one by the end of 2011. 

Of note: the study reveals that the use of tablets and interest in using them in the future is not affected by years of practice.  This suggests that regardless of age, physicians are interested in integrating this technology to support their activities.  Growing physician interest in tablets indicates that technology such as this will soon command the market and is here to stay.  This is getting the attention of healthcare institutions as they begin to address strategies of how to most effectively integrate these devices into clinical settings.

 Physicians are becoming more tech savvy.  There is no sector that stands to gain more from this than physical therapy.  The physical therapy space serves as an ideal testing ground because of the ongoing therapist-to-patient interaction and need to manage patient progression and outcomes.  Treating patients in the clinic is only the start for the physical therapist.  The need to engage the patient off site is critical to a successful recovery.  The use of smartphones and tablet devices to aid in this environment serves as a fantastic opportunity.  In the midst of industry growth, an aging population and mounting pressure from insurance companies to reduce recovery times, physical therapist are in need of innovative ways to make their practices more efficient.  Mobile based, smart technology is a great solution.

 Resources

1. Modahl, M. 2011. Tablets Set to Change Medical Practice. Quantia Communications, Inc. http://www.quantiamd.com/q-qcp/QuantiaMD_Research_TabletsSetToChangeMedicalPractice.pdf

 This guest post was co-authored by Bronwyn Spira, P.T., President of Force Therapeutics and Mark Anthony Fields, Ph.D., M.P.H.   Force Therapeutics can be found at www.forcetherapeutics.com, www.facebook.com/forcetherapeutics, or www.twitter.com/ForceTherEx.