mHealth - Mobile Apps Changing Healthcare

Mobile devices are revolutionizing the way patients are engaged by the healthcare system.

 

The mobile market for health apps are expected to increase fourfold to $400 million by 2016, according to ABI Research. This plethora of mobile healthcare apps springing up on phones shows that many doctors and healthcare companies know the value of helping patients and maintain their record.

 

The impact of this shift on the healthcare system and how consumers use and act on health information should not be underestimated.

 

The US Department of Health and Human Services calls it “mHealth.” It denotes a mobile mechanism for monitoring and improving the health of the patients, and the health services and research.

 

5 ways in which these smart phone apps can transform the healthcare

 

1. Medication Refills using Mobile Prescription: Major pharmacies like Walgreens are now offering options for refilling prescriptions without having to visit them. The “reply to refill” email allows the user to refill multiple prescriptions, select which pharmacy those prescriptions should be filled at and what time they should be filled by, and even have them shipped from a saved account.
2. Patient Tools to Manage Their Own Health: Imagine if all the information you needed for a safe and healthy recovery were handed to you on an app. provider. Apps can remind you to take pills, monitor side effects and transfer the knowledge to your provider. This would be a huge advance for the patient’s safety. In the future, These apps will schedule appointments, update you the doctor’s status, if he is   running late, help monitor medications’ side effects, and help you follow your care plan accurately. These changes will engage patients with their health and healthcare in new ways.
3. Self-Monitoring Apps: For patients who do not require constant observation and are not in any risk, there are self monitoring applications available which allow them to take control of their own health. They can know physiological metrics like heart rate, blood pressure, weight, muscle tension, BMI, pule etc. they can even set targets and work towards achieving them. This gives them satisfaction and visible rewards for maintaining their own health.
4. Tools to Reduce Medical Fraud: These apps have the ability to track people and transactions in space and time. So, it is simple. When you scan your Medicare card at a pharmacy, an app would allow Medicare to instantly trace that transaction. This saves you a lot of fretting and fuming trying to figure out your expenses, and keeps your information safe.
5. Apps to Reduce Complexity Healthcare is a complex system, and the complexity is at times a deterrent to patient engagement. There are long waits, queues, non-transparent cost and quality to name a few challenges that the convalescent people face when dealing with the healthcare industry. A lot of these challenges are not necessary, and many can be mitigated using simple techniques. For e.g., if you know the number of patients waiting ahead of you in a doctor’s office where you are scheduled for a visit on your mobile, you can manage your time better, and save the wait in the reception area. If your smartphone remembers your appointments, medication times, and the medication levels and provides you timely reminders, your life will definitely become much easier.  Further, using geo location services, you can locate the nearest pharmacy, place an order containing your insurance information, and give you a scheduled pick up time at the click of a button.