2013: Promising mHealth Opportunity
By Britt Libby, Analyst, VDC Research, www.VDCresearch.com
Twitter: @Britt_Libby
Mobile technologies are by no means foreign to healthcare. Clinicians have long been accustomed to a daily influx of beeper alerts and using computers on wheels (COWs). However, as technological innovations drive new mobile solutions into today’s healthcare market, HIT (health information technology) departments are increasingly reshaping their mobile strategies. For many healthcare organizations — including over 80% of those analyzed in a recent VDC study — this reevaluation is driving an increase in mobility budgets.
The healthcare market is a perfect fit for mobile computing. A highly mobile workforce performs critical tasks where workflows are chaotic, and access to the right information in real time can save lives. However, healthcare has long been characterized by its fickle approach to IT and mobility investments.
The root cause was a combination of technical and commercial factors such as performance characteristics of legacy mobile solutions, a lack of mobile functionality embedded in leading HIS (hospital information system) and EHR platforms, and the cost of solutions. With recent advances in mobile technology — especially around tablets and smartphones — and greater awareness of the benefits derived from these solutions, we are witnessing significant momentum in the broader mHealth market. In addition, despite strict regulatory oversight and data security requirements, healthcare environments have proven a markedly ripe setting for BYOD (bring your own device) — according to a recent VDC survey, 75% of healthcare organizations currently have or are considering BYOD policies.
Device Feature Requirements: Table Stakes
mHealth end users — commonly employing devices to access confidential information and support mission-critical systems — have little tolerance for device downtime or security lapses. Evaluation and adoption of mobile computers is an intricate process, requiring thorough consideration of a number of factors. Chief among these, as indicated by VDC’s market research, are performance, reliability, and security.
2013 will be an exciting year for mHealth. Consumer-grade smartphones and tablets will expand the overall mHealth opportunity, driving new use cases and opportunities for healthcare mobility. At the same time, rugged solutions providers are addressing many of their legacy performance issues and are designing solutions that mimic many of the benefits of consumergrade solutions while continuing to deliver the durability often needed in healthcare environments.