A new HIMSS Analytics study of 129 C-suite executives, IT professionals, clinicians and department heads has found 79.8 percent use tablets and 42.6 percent use smartphones to access the information needed to provide and coordinate care.

On the other hand, 37.2 percent use laptops and 94.6 percent still use desktop computers.
 
“The use of mobile technology within our daily lives has become habitual,” said Brendan FitzGerald, director of research at HIMSS Analytics. “People can use their smartphone, tablet or laptop to do most everything they need, such as shopping, staying in touch with friends and family, or conducting business. However, the use of mobile technology has not easily translated to clinician needs around providing better patient care.”
 
While many might agree that mobile technology can help improve clinician communication and enhance access to needed clinical and non-clinical data, continued innovation needs to occur to improve care quality and workflow efficiencies, FitzGerald said.
 
The study also found 76.5 percent use smartphone applications to access clinical information, 70.6 percent use smartphones to access to electronic health record and 66.2 percent use to access non-clinical information such as educational resources.
 
“The findings from our Mobile Study are significant because this is feedback gathered directly from healthcare providers,” FitzGerald said. “We know innovation is necessary, and this study identifies key areas where mobile technology can be most beneficial to providers. For example, access to data is huge – and this is true for both patients and organizational stakeholders. Hospitals can leverage mobile devices to access patient data across care settings, while patients can use mobile technology to access their own data.”
 
Read more about the HIMSS Analytics study.