Mobile Medical Technologies Making a Difference in Patient Outcomes
There is little doubt that physicians are now using their mobile devices to improve communications and collaboration, streamline productivity, and enhance patient care and safety. In fact, Spyglass Consulting Group recently released a healthcare study, Point of Care Communications for Physicians, focusing on how physicians are adopting mobile technologies at the point of care and found that an incredible 94 percent of physicians are using Smartphones to communicate, manage personal and business workflows and access medical information.
While the statistics are compelling, what exactly are physicians doing with their mobile devices? And perhaps more importantly, to what extent do physicians feel mobile access to medical information offers a real benefit to them and their patients?
Anecdotal evidence directly from several healthcare providers (HCPs) explains the trend best. Here is what they said:
Jan F., RN
Several weeks ago, we had an infant patient who had received back-to-back heart transplants and was still in congestive heart failure with very poor diastolic function. He had failed extubation several times.
The baby’s cardiologist was desperate to do something for this child and decided to try nesiritide (Natrecor). Because it’s available in Canada by special release only, we were unable to find any information on it other than the package insert. I have Davis’s Drug Guide on my PDA, and while it didn’t have any information on pediatric administration, it was very helpful in understanding why we were trying it and what it was expected to do for him. He has since graduated from the PICU and will soon be discharged from hospital for the first time in his life.
Dan D., MD
Our team of twenty physicians was travelling to the west coast of Africa to dedicate a new orphanage in war-torn Sierra Leone. Although we were each allowed a total of 135 pounds for our international flights, we decided to limit personal items to 65 pounds so that we could carry supplies destined for the 57 orphans. I knew that I would most likely be encountering quite a different group of diseases than I usually find in my suburban multi-specialty practice.
Hence, I decided to carry Skyscape mobile products on my Palm Smartphone that I was using on (a) regular basis. Carrying a concise but complete medical text on my Palm has been extremely valuable.
There, I encountered two cases of severe osteomyelitis and a case of malaria. With everyone looking to me as the “expert,” it was invaluable to have quality reference materials in the “palm of my hand”. One of the 5-year-old children with osteomyelitis had been infected for over a month. I don’t usually manage cases of osteomyelitis. However, brushing up on the treatment recommendations in the Skyscape’s 5-Minute Clinical Consult (5MCC) gave me the confidence to intervene in the care that he was receiving and based on the recommendations in 5MCC, I insisted that he be transferred to the care of an orthopedic surgeon. This case turned out to be case of tibia with a pathological fracture and without adequate treatment: he could have lost his leg. Thanks to Skyscape products that helped me and this child.
Pound for pound, the 5MCC is the most efficient and accurate medical reference text available. And, fortunately, it doesn’t weigh a ton.
Thomas C., MD, Medical Director
“Over the past ten years I have made over 14,000 house calls to more than 2,500 homebound patients outside of Chicago, Illinois. While house calls are somewhat unusual these days they used to be commonplace. As modern medical technology advanced, however, patients had to go to where the technology was located – in the doctor’s office or the hospital. Modern microchips, however, have allowed miniaturization of medical equipment allowing blood tests, pulse oximetry, EKGs, pulmonary function tests and even ultrasounds to be done easily in the home.
My most recent technological discovery has been the value of Skyscape handheld-based medical information software. Most of my patients are completely homebound and unable to get out to specialists. I end up dealing with a lot of complicated medical problems that I would have normally referred out. Our average age patient is 80-years-old with multiple chronic problems and on several medications. I have found 5-Minute Clinical Consult, DrDrugs and iFacts (drug interactions) to be invaluable. Just today I used it to look up the antibody tests to order for Celiac disease, to reassure a patient regarding Alopecia areata and to refresh myself on Scleroderma for a new patient I was seeing. I now have infinitely more up-to-date information in my pocket than I had in the text books I lugged around in the car. This information has both helped and given reassurance to me as a doctor and also to my patients.”
Source: Skyscape: http://www.skyscape.com/Company/YourVoices.aspx
For pharmaceutical marketers and agencies interested in reaching, informing, educating and incenting physicians and allied healthcare professionals –it is important to understand the impact mobile technology is having on clinicians and support this trend with meaningful and useful medical resources. For instance, many of the medical resources mentioned here can be sponsored by life science companies and, under the “educational guidelines” umbrella, provided to physicians as educational gifts. Doing so will both accelerate the growth of mobile in the healthcare environment and give HCPs the power to do more.
For more information on Physicians Interactive’s mobile marketing opportunities for life science companies, please call 800.794.6757 or email info@physiciansinteractive.com.
