Improving the Patient Experience with Mobile Technology

Quality patient care is the core of every great healthcare provider. After all, when patients are satisfied with their care, they develop trust in your services — improving their reception to treatments as well. One way to improve patient care in your organization is with the use of mobile technology. Mobile health products have dominated the digital health market for years, and the latter is expected to exceed $884 billion by 2030.

That said, here are some of mobile tech’s applications to improve the quality of your services:

Telehealth

In times of health scares, not everybody is brave enough to physically visit their physicians for a quick consultation. Fortunately, a lot of healthcare providers are now integrating telehealth into their operations, allowing patients to access their services remotely.

Some telehealth modalities include but are not limited to:

• Synchronous. This is when patients talk with their physicians in real-time using smartphones or tablets.
• Asynchronous. This when the patient and physician contact each other indirectly, usually through a patient portal. “Store and forward” technology — or where patients collect their own clinical information and send it electronically later — is a great example of asynchronous telehealth.
• RPM or remote patient monitoring. This is a delivery method that uses mobile devices like smartphones and smartwatches to passively collect patient medical data. Unlike asynchronous telehealth, the information is transmitted to the healthcare provider in real-time.

E-prescriptions and online appointments are all direct functions of telehealth. Telehealth will even persist post-pandemic, simply because of its convenience.

Data collection

An electronic health record (EHR) is a digital record of the patient’s medical history. EHRs help avoid medical errors that come with traditional filings, like duplicated tests and inputting mistakes caused by hard-to-read handwriting. These systems are typically overseen by nursing informatics specialists. As one of the most in-demand nursing careers, nursing informatics specialists are in charge of analyzing and optimizing system performances, like EHRs, to improve patient care. They can also suggest technical improvements to make EHRs more efficient. Data collection for EHR is done digitally — which medical tablets can help you with. You would ideally have one tablet per room or physician.

Imaging

Images from CT scans, X-rays, MRIs, and other tests come in DICOM, which is a format designed for medical imaging. If you want to open these images, you need software that supports them like MicroDICOM and RadiAnt. Plenty of medical mobile devices are equipped with these types of diagnostic imaging hardware. Estone Technology’s tablets even come with an 800 NIT display, integrated ambient light sensors, and precision-controlled luminescence for the added accuracy. If physicians had access to a patient’s EHR files, which contain image records of these tests, consultations would go a lot faster. Quick access to these medical records can also make for better prescriptions.

Choosing the Right Technology

When choosing the right mobile technology, its important to consider the specifications of the device you intend to use and how its features compliment your practice.  A device like the MD-100 has an antimicrobial chassis and IP65 or better rating allows you to disinfect it regularly while mobilizing throughout your environment without the risk of spreading contaminants.  When working with medical records, its important to have strong security measures.  The fingerprint reader on the MD-100 keeps your records safe.  Finally, a docking station allows you to transform your mobile device into a desktop workstation when needed.

Whether the patient is onsite or at home, the right mobile technology can help improve their healthcare experience. With confidence in your services, patients are more likely to come back, boosting your organization’s reputation in the long run.

Specially written for ESTONETECH

By: Risha Jeane