The Mobile device is the embodiment of the future that we used to dream about. A device small enough to be carried anywhere, which also offers power and convenience. So its a understatement to say that it is a popular technology. Everybody’s got one, and they have it with them all the time. This makes mobile devices the ideal candidate to monitor health signs and provide reminders for patients, in addition to providing access to vital health information for doctors. They definitely will have an exciting part to play in the future of how healthcare will be dispensed and their applications will be varied and diverse. But for now, let’s make a took at  what the immediate future of mobile healthcare will look like.

Increased medication compliance

Doctors spend a lot of energy in prescribing medications to their patients based on their conditions. But there is a tendency to either skip medications or take the wrong dosage, because patients today are busy and forgetful.  This reduces the efficacy of the treatment,  along with skewing the doctors diagnosis, because they operate under the belief that the prescribed medications are being taken regularly.  Not taking the right medicine at the right time gives rise to unnecessary consequences, like increased re-admission rates.

Mobile devices can help change this scenario. Because patients always have it with them, it allows for reminders that are more effective. Services like RxApps are built-in into a patient’s treatment plan, and send out relevant reminders to ensure patients adhere to their treatment plan. Also, clean and clear prescriptions, like this one Doctors can send through Practo Ray, reduce errors by the patient. It makes it easy for them to check the prescription when they take their medication , or while replacing medical stocks.

Access clinical information immediately.

If a doctor uses a cloud-based EMR, all his patients medical records are instantly accessible through his mobile. From doctors making their rounds to patients who are visiting the same doctor at different clinics, having a mobile device at hand reduces the time taken to access records.

Medical Apps

There’s been an exponential increase in the number of mHealth apps being released. With Apple releasing their Healthkit platform, the number of support mobile devices are sure to grow even more.  This has also sparked the rise of fitness devices that accompany these apps, offering a whole new world of quantifying heath data.

All these allow for real time health-data to be collected and collated, providing a valuable picture of health to both patients and doctors. Some apps even offer data-visualisation, which is literally a picture of the patients health. Not to forget, there are also apps which make it easy for patient to find doctors near you.

Mobile Practice Management:

A practice management software with mobile access puts the clinic at the doctor’s fingertips, wherever they are. In addition to the Mobile App, web-based products such as Practo Ray can be accessed through mobile, which means that the doctor can take their clinic with them wherever they go. This in turn increases patient engagement and reduces response time for emergencies.

Data Collection:

The data collected with mobile devices is very valuable, so imagine what all that data put together would be worth. Analysis of such a personalised and real-time data will reveal interesting patterns, which might offer new insights into how the body’s signs are related to each other.

With the introduction of low-cost mobile devices, there are going to be a lot more people who are hooked on their mobile devices, which opens up even more opportunities to increase the efficiency and convenience of healthcare delivery. Exciting times ahead.