Commentary

Digitizing the physician office with mobile technology

By Michael Martineau

When it comes to the use of technology, physicians are frequently and unfairly characterized as luddites. Yet, in my research for my book on digitizing the physician office, I have found quite the opposite to be the case. Physicians are more than willing to embrace technology that helps them deliver better care or that frees up their time by allowing them to work more efficiently. Mobile technology is an excellent example of what physicians deem to be useful technology.

Mobile phones, once the domain of the select few individuals who could justify the high purchase and operating costs, are quickly becoming the ultimate personal computing devices whose numbers will soon exceed the number of personal computers. Indeed, data compiled by Morgan Stanley, a global financial services firm, shows that the mobile Internet is growing at a rate even faster that the wired Internet.

Medicine is one of the professions on the leading edge of mobile technology use and adoption. The annual “Taking the Pulse” report from Manhattan Research, a pharmaceutical and healthcare market research and advisory firm focuses on the digital trends shaping the future of consumer and physician marketing. A recent edition of this report (“Taking the Pulse v9.0”) states that 64% of physicians surveyed are using smartphones, more than double the number that were doing so eight years ago. The same report notes that adoption of iPhones increased even more dramatically, with twice as many physicians reporting using an iPhone than did a year earlier.

More than half of physicians report using a mobile device to access the Internet. A 2009 SDI Mobile & Social Media Study found that when using a mobile device, “physicians are most likely to access information about drugs, drug interactions, and prescribing” whereas physicians using a computer are “more likely to seek articles, abstracts, and continuing medical education-related information”.

According to Manhattan Research, some of the most widely used applications on smartphones include drug and clinical references and clinical tools such as dosage calculators.

Although more physicians than ever are using smartphones, Manhattan Research notes that physician use of these devices has not cannibalized computer Internet use. Instead, Manhattan Research found that physicians are spending more time online overall, whether it be through personal computers or smartphones.

A less rigorous but equally interesting survey of healthcare professionals including physicians was conducted by Software Advice through their blog. The approximately 700 survey respondents included physicians, nurses, students and others in the healthcare industry. Some insights from this survey include:

• In response to the question “Which smartphone do you use?” a large majority of healthcare professionals responded that they use an iPhone. Interestingly, the administrative staff who responded to the survey unanimously stated that they use a BlackBerry. Worth noting is the use of the newer Palm Pre and Android-based smartphones by students. Since this cohort is generally more apt to be early adopters they may offer a glimpse into future usage patterns.

• When asked why they chose their current smartphone, the majority of respondents in all categories stated that software was the major reason. Given the large and growing pool of applications available for the iPhone, it is not surprising that the iPhone was the most popular choice given the importance of software in making a purchase decision. Further, another software-related factor, the user interface, was a major feature of the iPhone that respondents noted frequently in comments associated with their survey responses.

• Besides the non-healthcare specific choices of email and note taking, the most popular use for smartphones in the work place was prescription drug reference.

Mobile technology is one of the topics that I am exploring for my book on digitizing the physician office. As part of my research activities, I am eager to speak with physicians and medical office staff who have or are about to implement an electronic medical record system. Please contact me at michael.martineau@avenant.ca to arrange an interview for my book. Also, please check out my views on other facets of healthcare IT on my blog, eHealthMusings.ca.

Posted August 19, 2010