It used to be that consumers worried considerably about security issues of their smartphones and other mobile devices to communicate or store medical information. Today, though, 58 percent of U.S. consumers with smartphones have shared medical information via the Internet with a caregiver, according to a new mobile health study from global communications firm Ketchum.

Further, one in four U.S. consumers have e-mailed or texted a photo of a medical issue to a doctor, the Ketchum mHealth study found.

They’re also managing their health on their own from their smartphones or fitness trackers: 47 percent of respondents have an app that tracks fitness, working out, health or medicine, the study found. In addition, 83 percent of consumers who use fitness or workout apps use them at least once a week, the study said.

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“This study points to a shift in people’s attitudes and readiness to use technology to manage their health,” said Lisa Sullivan, executive vice president and North American technology practice leader for Ketchum. “With U.S. smartphone adoption at 68 percent, now is the time for businesses that have a stake in the healthcare industry to push to develop approachable, intuitive mobile tech offerings that help the ever-increasing mobile user population improve something as personal and important as their health.” 

As part of the study, Ketchum identified five types of mobile health technology users, segmented by current attitudes toward mHealth, health behaviors and overall mobile/technology adoption. The aim of this segmentation is to gain a better understanding of people’s likes, dislikes and general habits when it comes to mHealth and identify opportunities to make it easier and more convenient for people to manage their health and wellness through mobile devices or fitness trackers, Ketchum said.

The five types of users include:

• Discerning Digitals. These are the super users who love being constantly connected, but may also struggle with feeling too available; they are advocates of mHealth but still like face-to-face contact with medical professionals, Ketchum explained.
• Swayable Seekers. This group wants to expand their smartphone repertoire beyond just making calls; they feel confident about managing their health and get a lot of their medical information online, Ketchum said.
• Health Tech Hesitators. This group admits they don’t manage their health very well and aren’t happy with their physical well-being, and they’re not exactly comfortable sharing information online, the firm said.
• App-athetic Agnostics. These consumers love mobile technology; many just don’t use any type of mHealth, nor do they care to, Ketchum found.
• Low-tech Lifers. These are the traditionalists who don’t think mHealth has had a positive impact on their lives, nor do they foresee it having a positive impact in the future, the firm said.

Ketchum also found found that a big opportunity exists to educate users. More than half (51 percent) of respondents, in fact, indicated that they have a lot to learn about how to top into mobile technologies to improve their health.

“Though current attitudes toward using mobile technologies for health at the individual level are quite complex, the insights here also speak to broader trends in the health ecosystem and the potential for these technologies to help improve health outcomes,” said Valerie Delva, health strategy director for Ketchum North America.

Helpful advice on planning your purchase of IDS and IPS tools:

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• What to watch: IDS and IPS features to consider when comparing different vendors products 

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