Familiarize yourself with mobile health, advises Jasmine Zia, MD. Most of your patients already have a smartphone and have experience with health-related apps. They are also more likely to use an app if their doctors recommend it.
Nearly 60 percent of patients would use a health-related app and believe it would help them better manage their health in partnership with their physicians, according to Dr. Zias research recently published in Clinical and Translational Gastroenterology.
Patients were confident they could learn how to use a health-related app and would use it for up to five minutes per day indefinitely. Apps that do not require a visible accessory such a bracelet or necklace were preferred to those that do, but the primary concern patients expressed was data security. Patients want to know their information wont end up in the wrong hands.
Dr. Zia suggests health-related mobile apps may be able to fill needs in clinical practice as well, creating an easier process to manage for both patients and office staff.
Ultimately, Dr. Zias advice is to give mobile health a try.
