The Role of Mobile Health Devices in Healthcare - Report Example

The Role of Mobile Health Devices in Health Care With the advancement of technology, mobile devices are increasingly used in medical field for variety of technical, medical as well administrative tasks in healthcare. Most of these mobile devices like Phones, PDA’s, Nooks, Ipads etc which come with several apps and powerful processing abilities can be a real assistance for doctors and other healthcare professionals. The purpose of this report is to study about the technologies that exist in these devices for mobile health care, about the major players in the industry and about how these technologies are employed today and their future uses. Introduction With the expansion of mobile technology and through the advancement of 3g and 4g, mobile devices like PDA’s, phones, Nook, Ipad etc have transformed the fields of communication, healthcare, Information management, commerce and entertainment. As West points out in his research, with the growth of these technologies there was significant improvement in service delivery, in the way people interact, and they have also made business, entrepreneurs and organizations much more powerful (1). M-health is the name given for the practice of using mobile devices like mobile phones, tablet computers and PDA’s in health care. The m-health applications using mobile devices include collecting clinical and community health data, providing sufficient health care information for doctors, patients, researchers and also performing real-time monitoring of patients. These mobile devices have brought changes in the health care delivery and have brought better patient experiences. These technology devices have been a real advantage in the management of chronic diseases. They can be used for reminding the patients to take timely medication, can be used to monitor health status of expectant mothers and elderly people and also could be used to extend the medical services in the areas which are underserved. Overall, these innovative mobile technologies have significantly improved medical system efficiency and have brought better health outcomes and reduced the cost involved. Various mobile technologies used in health care The various mobile technologies used in healthcare include mobile phones, PDA’s, PDA phones like smart phones, tablet e-reader/ media player like Nook Tablet ,handheld ultra portable computers like Ipads or tablet PC’s. A mobile phone or cellular phone can be used to receive telephone calls using radio signals. They also support text messaging. A smart phone is a cell phone which supports some additional features like internet or email. These mobile devices operate on special operating system that is developed to work in mobile devices. Android operating system developed by Google is the most widely used operating system which operates in variety of mobile devices. As Bruce discusses, mobile devices developed by Apple work with IOS operating system, and they have huge demand in the market. Similarly mobile devices from black berry and Microsoft have their own operating system (411). Operating system normally comes with only limited apps like phone, email, notes, reminder, calendar etc. But more than the operating system that runs the device, availability of various apps which works on these devices makes them more useful. PDA’s or personal digital assistants or palmtop computer is largely used as personal information manager. They operate on a modified form of desktop OS. Most of the PDA are touch screen with features like internet access, audio capabilities and also can be used as phone. Apples Inc tablet computers namely Ipad runs on APPLE IOS. IPad has features like touch screen, web browsing, video shooting, camera, media player and supports functions like GPS navigation, social networking, games, reference etc. Though, it doesn’t have inbuilt phone, iPads can be used for verbal communication through VoIP services like Skype. Nook is an e-reader or tablet computer which is mainly used for viewing books, magazines, newspapers etc. It is marketed by Barnes and Noble. It has customizable display and other features like Internet connectivity, built in media player with video and audio support. It support installing applications developed by third party software developers which are approved by Barnes and Noble. As Free and Phillips illustrate, most of these devices are capable for enabling communication using telephone, text messages, multimedia messages with photos and videos, multimedia support, Internet access as well as support for application software’s (n.p.). Through the advancement in technology, it is now possible that a single device will be able to perform all or many of these functions. These mobile devices could be used by health care providers for services like education, managing patients and diagnosis support. Also, it can be used for communication between health care service providers and patients in cases like reminding about the appointment or test results. Nowadays there are varieties of health care apps which are easily transforming these mobile devices to medical instruments. Apart from these generally used mobile devices, there are several mHealth monitoring and diagnostic devices which can be used as inbuilt plugins with devices like, PDA’s and smart phones. As per the report of PR Newswire, the market of m-health monitoring and diagnostic device has seven different product types like blood pressure monitors, glucose monitors, cardiac monitors, pulse oximeters, multiparameter monitors, sleep apnea monitors and other devices. Major reason behind the success of these devices in health care lies in the fact that they are immensely popular, have mobility features and wonderful technological capabilities. As people carry these mobile devices with them everywhere they go, it is possible for claiming attention of people to a particular information from anywhere at the real time. Besides, most of the technological features are available at low cost. For example, software applications can be easily downloaded to the device and requires very less cost. Various technological features used in these devices for healthcare includes software applications as well as text and multimedia messages (SMS). How these technologies work? Mobile phones play a major role in health care and public health interventions. As Boulos et al point out, mobile devices are of very much use in collecting data needed for health care research in telemedicine and also assist in remote health care in developing nations. In Africa mobile phone text messaging has been really useful in controlling malaria. Since text messaging is a cheap mobile function, they were widely used for disease and treatment effectiveness surveillance, for monitoring the availability of health commodities and for post marketing surveillance to check the effectiveness and safety of anti malarial drugs. Smart phones with GPS facilities have assisted individuals with disabilities or chronic disorder to live an independent life. Besides, SMS texts were used for educating about health, for improving patient’s routine following to antiretroviral treatment and for managing behavioural changes. Joseph in his book describes PDA’s as a really helpful device in healthcare; they can be used for adding, organizing and accessing various information and can also be used for sending emails, fax, internet access and also can be used as a phone. Data stored in PDA‘s can be transferred to and from desktop computers. Also, people involved in healthcare can use PDA’s by installing software applications like calculator, electronic text books, and medication reference tools (3). Various kinds of software’s that gives real-time information like up to date drug information database, Medline journals and resources that can assist nurses are available nowadays to use with PDA’s. As, health care providers require fast access to latest information while dealing with the patients , PDA’s are better options compared to traditionally used books for reference which can get outdated with time. PDA’s can be updated with the latest information quite easily, and hence can significantly reduce medication errors. Apart from this there are services like Avantgo for converting medical journals in PDA readable formats. Also application like wardwatch can be used to remind doctors about the treatment regimens of patients during their ward rounds, they also help in organizing medical records. As found in Stephanidis (Ed.), IPads is very much useful in health care compared to other mobile devices with small screen. It is largely used for clinical purposes as it has larger screen size that enables better screen readability. IPads provide better visual perception and is very convenient for web browsing (51). IPad is really useful in the supply chain of health care. A business intelligence app named VHA pricelynx can be used in iPad, and it is really useful in managing and organizing healthcare organizations’ purchase procedures and saves lots of money for the organization. Nook color being an e-reader can be useful for reading medical reference books, and is useful for medical students as well as doctors. Key players of mobile industry There are several mobile device manufacturers, and the industry is growing like never before. As far as PDA’s are concerned there are several key players. As Croxton illustrates, PDA’s are available in two different operating system namely palm OS and Window CE(Pocket PC) OS (1). Palm OS is getting more popular with time and the key players are Palm pilot, Sony and Handspring visor. Window CE based PDA is also gaining its popularity and major players include Compaq, Hewlett Packard and Casio. The famous e-reader Nook is developed by the well-known American book retailers Barnes and Noble. The other major e-readers available are Kindle touch developed by Amazon and cybook opus developed by Bookeen. Among the tablets, IPads is the top selling Apple product with IOS operating system. Other major players include Samsung and Asus. As per the press release published by PR Newswire dated May 13, 2014 (accessed from Market Watch), the key players in m-health monitoring and diagnostic devices are  Bayer HealthCare AG, LifeWatch AG, DexCom, Inc.,  AT&T, Inc, Boston Scientific Corporation, Omron Healthcare.  F. Hoffmann La-Roche Ltd, Drager AG, BioTelemetry, Inc, Medtronic, Inc, and Masimo Corporation, Future uses of mobile devices in health care Nowadays, practitioners as well as nurses are increasingly turning toward use of mobile devices like PDA’s, smart phones or Ipads in their daily work. We can find a new of generation of health care professionals who are making use of cost effective and efficient mobile health gadgets. Nowadays, increasing growth of mobile devices has led to increased development of various mobile apps. There are several health care apps which are extremely useful for doctors, other health care professionals as well as patients. Most of them are flexible enough to work with all kinds of mobile devices, and hence will work with the mobile device owned by the doctor. But, due to the busy schedule of doctors it is becoming much difficult for them to choose the effective apps from the long list. Use of these m-health technologies is widening in consulting patients and for managing and organizing the work flow. In the near future, we can expect these m-health devices to do diagnosis and research. Besides, m-health technologies are also now widely employed in training, and hence future use of these technologies in health is ensured. In future we can expect several great innovations in mobile, digital and technology fields. Many of these innovations are in its developmental phase. As per the Jewish Business News report, published 28 April 2014, we can expect innovative technologies like virtual digital brains, nanorobots operating in blood, cyborgs which are recreational, remote touch, home diagnostics, complete psychological simulation, multi-functional radiology, humanoid robots, holographic data input etc. we can expect that in some day, technology will alert the individuals regarding a threatening health problem. With advancement of 4G technologies in the future, there could be various new advancements in several areas. As Istepanian et al believe, based on the health care profile of an individual and their health history, it will be possible to develop personalized predictive health care. Patients who are having difficulty in mobility can be monitored and diagnosed through systems like Mobile on demand home health services (7). With more and more new mobile technologies emerging, there are challenges in security. In future mobile systems, information should be secure and there should be reliable and fast access for medical data. Also, future research should focus on integrating technological advances with future m-health market. Conclusion This report has studied about the technologies used in mobile health care and also has shed light on their current and future uses. Mobile devices will continue to expand their functionalities in health care field. With proper utilization of these innovative mobile technologies, practitioners can get connected with real time information from anywhere and anytime, which will eventually generate a more productive and efficient work environment. With several new innovations in M-health systems and with advancement in information technology, we can expect health care technologies advancing greatly in computerisation. Works Cited Bruce, Beau. “Mobile devices: A day in the life of the 21st century neuro-ophthalmologist”. North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society (2013), 411-419. Boulos, Maged N Kamel., Wheeler, Steve., Tavares, Carlos and Jones, Ray. “How smartphones are changing the face of mobile and participatory healthcare: an overview, with example from eCAALYX”. BioMedical Engineering,( 2011, 10:24). Croxton, Dave. “PDAs in the Corporate Environment”. SANS Institute, 2001. Web. 16 May 2014. https://www.sans.org/reading-room/whitepapers/pda/pdas-corporate-environment-255 Free C., Phillips, G., Watson, L Galli, L., Felix, L et al. “The Effectiveness of Mobile-Health Technologies to Improve Health Care Service Delivery Processes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis”. PLoS Med (2013, 10,1). Istepanian, Robert, Laxminarayan, Swamy and Pattichis, S. Constantinos. M-Health: Emerging Mobile Health Systems. US: Springer, 2007. Print. Jewish Business News. “MHealth & Digital Health : Guide To The Future Of Healthcare”. (April 28, 2014). Web. 16 May 2014. http://jewishbusinessnews.com/2014/04/28/mhealth-digital-health-guide-to-the-future-of-healthcare/ Joseph, Laly. Use of Handheld Technology (PDA) and Reduction in Medication Errors: An Evidence-based Pilot Project. ProQuest, 2009. Web. Market Watch. “mHealth Monitoring And Diagnostic Medical Devices Market (Focus On Medical Devices With In-Built Plug-Ins For Connectivity With Devices Like Smartphones And Tablets) Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends And Forecast, 2013 – 2019”. Press Release. (May 2014). Web. 16 May 2014. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/mhealth-monitoring-and-diagnostic-medical-devices-market-focus-on-medical-devices-with-in-built-plug-ins-for-connectivity-with-devices-like-smartphones-and-tablets-global-industry-analysis-size-share-2014-05-13 PR Newswire. “Patient Monitoring Devices: Global Markets”. (May 7, 2014). Web. 16 May 2014. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/patient-monitoring-devices-global-markets-258302191.html Stephanidis, Constantine (Ed.). Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction. Context Diversity. Springer, 2011. Print.. West, Darrell. “Issues in technology innovation. How Mobile Devices are Transforming Healthcare”. Center for Technology Innovation, May 2012. Web. Read More