Mobile Health Is Enhancing Clinical Decisions At the Point of Care

Smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices are becoming ubiquitous in doctors’ offices and hospitals as a means to standardize care protocols, improve the flow of information, and ease the implementation of electronic health records (EHRs).[i]  In fact, mobile devices are becoming as essential as the exam table, according to a 2013 survey conducted on behalf of Wolters Kluwer Health by Paris-based market and technology firm Ipsos.[ii] Nearly 80 percent of the 300 practicing primary care, family and internal medicine physicians surveyed said they were using a smartphone in their day-to-day practice. Another 61% were using tablets.
A 2013 infographic on mhealth[iii] compiled by Strategy& (formerly Booz & Company) supports these findings, reporting that 85 percent of doctors use smartphones and medical apps. In addition, 86 percent of all clinicians – doctors, nurses and nurse practitioners – now use smartphones in their practice areas every day, up from 78 percent in 2012.  More