A new report by IT research firm IDC Canada examines how mobile innovation is driving change in the Canadian health landscape, and how the rapid increase of smartphone adoption solidifies mobile technology’s vital role in evolving healthcare.
The study found that mobility is actually ranked fifth when it comes to healthcare IT priorities; application consolidation and modernization, workplace/desktop improvement, software implementation and workplace/desktop consolidation and automation all ranked higher.
When it comes to mobility though, IDC found that smartphone penetration is creating demand for custom apps, and personal technology is helping fuel a shift towards patient-centric care. It also found social networking is affecting how clinical team members communicate with each other and with their patients, and is helping people to manage medical conditions, and prevent the, in the first place.
IDC sees the mobile health ecosystem as a collaborative undertaking involving a wide spectrum of players, such as application developers, healthcare technology providers, medical device manufacturers, and telecommunications companies, but sees the need for more involvement from government, consumers and people with chronic diseases.
“IT and telecommunications suppliers must join with medical technology experts and clinicians to develop devices that interface effectively with mobile devices,” said Allison Brooks, research director for public sector with IDC Canada, in a statement. “Cross-ecosystem collaboration will facilitate effective mHealth trials and pilots as well as developing a rich knowledge base that could assist in mitigating fears and concerns about the efficacy of mHealth technologies.”