The mobile health industry has been revolutionizing the way both doctors and patients approach medicine today. When it comes to addressing health issues, mobile health consumers are moving toward preventing disease and increasing fitness and wellness. Through fitness trackers and wearable devices, more patients are now focused on exercise and diet.
The company Research Now conducted a survey that looked at how mobile health applications and the mobile health industry is affecting patient care and physician workflow. Research Now polled a total of 1,000 mHealth app users and 500 medical professionals. The results show that 86 percent of healthcare professionals believe mobile health apps increase their knowledge on a patient’s medical condition.
Additionally, nearly half of surveyed providers – 46 percent – felt that mHealth apps actually strengthen their relationship with their patients. Three out of four polled medical care professionals – 76 percent – have suggested that mobile health tools assist patients with managing chronic medical conditions.
Additionally, three out of five surveyed physicians and medical staff help patients who are at high risk of developing serious health problems. As previously stated, fitness trackers can help patients exercise more regularly and lose weight, which would reduce their risk of heart disease.
Additionally, more than half of those surveyed believe that mHealth applications can help consumers who are healthy remain at an optimal level of health. Also, nearly half – 48 percent – of survey takers think that the technologies within the mobile health industry may be able to help patients who were recently discharged from a hospital make a better transition to home-based care.
Most importantly, nearly all survey takers – 96 percent – believe that mobile health apps “improve their quality of life.” In addition, the survey illustrates that users of mHealth tools already improve their wellness and lifestyle through these technologies. For example, 60 percent use the tools to monitor their workouts while nearly half – 49 percent – use apps to record their calorie intake.
However, the Research Now survey also uncovered that healthcare professionals have not shown strong adoption of mHealth apps with only 16 percent currently using these tools. Nonetheless, nearly half of medical professionals surveyed indicate they are planning on utilizing mobile health applications within the next five years.
The mobile health industry is truly making an impact on improving the lives of everyday citizens. Technologies like health apps, wearable devices, and remote monitoring tools are revolutionizing the healthcare industry on a constant basis.
“New developments in machine intelligence will make us far far smarter as a result, for everyone on the planet,” Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman of Google, said in a public statement. “It’s because our smart phones are basically supercomputers.”
“Around 400 million people in the last year got a smartphone,” Schmidt continued. “If you think that’s a big deal, imagine the impact on that person in the developing world.”
Satya Nadella, Chief Executive Officer of the Microsoft Corporation, also stated, “I’m most grounded on the role of technology. Ultimately to me it’s about the human capital and the human potential and technology empowers humans to do great things. You have to be optimistic about what technology can do in the hands of humans.”