FAQ - How can mobile technology be used in clinical practice?

Answer

Mobile technology has the potential to revolutionise how physicians and clinicians practice medicine.  From having access to the latest medical research to being able to communicate in real-time with colleagues around the world, medicine has truly entered the technological age.  Over the last decade many physicians have been required to use multiple devices, such as pagers, mobile telephones and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) to keep in communication with the hospital and to access medical information and calendar dates.

Recently, mobile and communication technologies have begun to converge, allowing the functions of pagers, mobile telephones and PDAs to be incorporated in a single device, the smartphone.  The smartphone can fulfil many functions including calling, SMS, E-mail, web-browsing, apps, dairy synchronisation, podcasts, vidcasts and image viewing.  Burdette et al. (2008) emphasise the growing importance of mobile technology at the point of care and the vital role this can play for doctors and clinicians alike.

What does access to a smartphone mean for the busy health care professional?

• Errors in medicine due to inadequate access to information can be avoided due to web access and specialised apps including medical dictionaries, drug databases and medical journals.
• Software and apps can assist with decision making.  Applications include include support for primary care, paediatric medication dosage, obstetric calculator, and the Glasgow Coma Scale Calculator.
• Many smartphones are capable of connecting to wifi, and consequently medical practitioners can access patient records via secure intra/internet databases.  There is also potential for medication tracking SOAP notes, real-time lab and test results.
• Reports can be written or modified on the move and uploaded to shared servers or the internet for wider dissemination.

So what are the drawbacks?

• The output screen is still relatively small (the Apple iPad may offer a solution to this).
• Text input is typically via a small scale physical or virtual qwerty keypad or stylus, which can be slow.
• Short battery life - heavy usage of features such as wifi, web browsing and phone calling over the phone network will likely result in 1 days total battery life.
• Data security may become a problem and devices with intimate medical records become connected to small electronic devices which can potentially be lost or easily stolen.

Reference:

Burdette, S. D., Herchline, T. E., Oehler, R. (2008). Practicing Medicine in a Technological Age: Using Smartphones in Clinical Practice. Clinical Infectious Diseases. 47, 117-122.

Disclaimer: This FAQ was written by Christopher Smith and does not reflect an official endorsement by the HEA or any other organisation.  Any questions or queries should be sent to: enquiries@medev.ac.uk

Last updated: 04 July 2011