Digital transformation has made navigating the modern world much more straightforward. With access to vast amounts of data and tools that update in real-time, technology has revolutionized how every industry operates.

In a sector as complex as healthcare, where the stakes are so high, technology provides real improvement to end users (both staff and patients). With mobile deployment, technology is quite literally put into the hands of the doctors, nurses, and administrators who can make the greatest difference.

Before the use of smartphones, tablet computers, and laptops, all information related to the patient, their symptoms, previous treatments/procedures, diagnostic tests, current treatments had to be made by hand. Managing this sensitive information and ensuring it was available to all future doctors/nurses was a logistical challenge.

In modern medicine, it is routine for doctors and nurses on the frontline to use hand-held devices to simplify and improve clinical practices. These include:

• Clinical decision-making
• Health record maintenance
• Communication
• Time management
• Education and training
• Remote monitoring
• Information management

Mobile devices are only going to become further integrated into healthcare. A study by Zebra Technologies estimates 97% of bedside nurses and 98% of physicians will be using mobile devices by 2022. And with good reason, a survey of physicians by the American Medical Association (AMA) published in 2020 found nearly 9 out of 10 physicians see clear advantages to digital health tools.

With this in mind, here are the 5 top benefits of mobile deployment in healthcare.

1. Communication

Healthcare professionals work across multiple locations, including:

• Clinics
• Wards
• Emergency departments
• Operating theatres
• Intensive care units
• Labs

Coordination in this dispersed environment is no easy task, and the potential consequences of miscommunication are dire. Before mobile deployment, communication in healthcare was a significant challenge. Doctors and nurses were not immediately accessible. Disparate departments did not have reliable and straightforward methods for communication.

Mobile deployment allows for real-time secure messaging between staff using Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliant software.

A perfect example of mobile devices helping communication is during hospital shift changes - a significant amount of information transfers from one team to another. With mobile deployment, a digital record of real-time patient data simplifies the whole process, ensuring seamless treatment from one provider to the next.

Mobile deployment also facilitates greater engagement with patients. Allowing for secure messaging, patient portals, and telemedicine to occur between patient and healthcare provider.

2. Health Record Maintenance 

Perhaps mobile deployment’s most notable shift has come in health record maintenance. With paper records, there are obvious challenges to keeping track of all the patient data and sharing it among all the doctors and nurses involved in their care.

The change to electronic health records (EHRs) revolutionized healthcare. Nowadays, the industry has adopted cloud-based paperless solutions that offer secure, safe, and reliable storage for all patient data. As a result, healthcare professionals have instant access to an up-to-date medical history for each patient at the point of care.

EHRs also remove the single point of failure inherent with paper records. Losing or misplacing patient data is at best a significant drain of resources and, at worst, results in poor clinical choices.

A report by Ricoh found 74% of hospitals that collect patient information using mobile devices were more efficient than those that don’t.

In many institutions accessing the patient’s entire EHR has become as simple as scanning their wristband with a mobile device.

3. Clinical Decision Making

Clinical decision-making is the most important part of healthcare. Providers must determine the best strategy for patient diagnosis and treatment based on the information available to them. Using technology with mobile deployment gives them easy access to significantly more data than before, ensuring the best decision is made.

With the integration of mobile devices into everyday clinical practices, providers get:

• Immediate real-time access to a patient’s entire EHR,
• Instant access to medical literature, textbooks, etc.,
• Increased data collection,
• Reduced miscommunication causing errors.

A range of software is now available to help doctors during clinical decision-making, providing them with helpful information such as symptoms, diagnostic possibilities, treatment options, and much more. With mobile deployment, doctors can utilise these tools at the point of care. With more critical data available to them, they can study new trends and even improve the rate of medical breakthroughs.

4. Efficiency 

Waste in healthcare has significant consequences. The use of mobile devices offers methods and tools for improving efficiency. These including:

• Instant EHR access
• Time management tools
• Optimizing resources
• Improved education and training strategies
• Tracking treatments
• Remote care
• Reduced time spent on administrative tasks

All this leads to better patient care.

Remote care is one of the best examples of technology increasing efficiency within healthcare. Doctors and nurses can now monitor patients from their mobile devices. AMA’s survey of physicians found remote care was the most significant driver in adopting digital tools. Although many of the benefits from mobile deployment come from simplifying existing tasks, remote care allows for entirely new patient care strategies previously impossible.

5. Cost Reduction 

Improving clinical practices increases productivity, saving money for healthcare providers. Technology has:

• removed time wasted waiting for paper copies of patient notes,
• reduced manual paperwork for administrative tasks,
• tasks like writing prescriptions, scheduling procedures, waiting for test results, and many more are no longer a drain on healthcare professionals’ time.

With mobile deployment, optimal healthcare workflows save money and let doctors and nurses spend more time and energy on patient care.

Mobile Deployment in Healthcare

Mobile deployment offers real and significant benefits in healthcare, simplifying a range of clinical practices.