Health + Tech | Mobile applications improve patient care

Jamaica has come a far way in terms of technological advancement since the 1980s. Do you remember the days when people had to line up on King Street or other parish towns for a turn to use the ‘phone box’? Many of us older folk recall those days when that was the quickest way to contact family and friends overseas.

We have been fortunate enough to witness first-hand how revolutionised the world has become with the use of and increasing improvement to technology. Unmistakably, we are living in an era where technology is at the forefront of all we do. The younger generation can hardly imagine a life without a cell phone, a tablet, or a computer, and even some older ones have difficulty putting themselves back into that space. In fact, there is an entire generation that does not know a world without a smartphone.

Throughout time, the aim has always been to improve healthcare in some way and make it more accessible. These objectives have become even more achievable with digital health. Many healthcare facilities are now looking to completely digitise their operations.

UWI FAR AHEAD

The University Hospital of the West Indies is far ahead in this process, and many private practices have started using practice management systems. We have indeed been making strides with the introduction of health technology generally, and we are in a very good position now to leverage the wide-scale use and access to mobile technology in this regard.

Most persons are not strangers to mobile applications. Once you have a smartphone or an Internet-ready device such as a tablet or computer, usually you have some kind of app; the most popular ones are for emails. However, today there is a plethora of apps that can be used for various aspects of healthcare management.

Mobile health app development has become a major business – on its own – in the healthcare industry. According to a report published by Zion Market Research, “The global mobile health apps market was valued at approximately US$8.0 billion in 2018 and is expected to generate around US$111.1 billion by 2025, at a [compound annual growth rate] (CAGR) of around 38.26 per cent between 2019 and 2025.” (globenewswire.com).

Most remote care management devices come with an app to help patients and doctors read and share results from health indices to their electronic medical records. These include systolic and diastolic blood pressure, respiration rate, arterial stiffness, blood volume, body temperature, blood oxygen saturation, ECG, pulse rate, respiration, and several others.

Other apps that cover the various business processes of the healthcare organisations are also available. These areas include digital imaging, health records, lab, pharmacy, e-prescription, patient registration and scheduling and telemedicine.

So why not leverage this to improve healthcare at the individual level? Jamaica’s cell phone penetration is high. We know that there are more than a million cell phone subscribers here. In fact, many persons are known to have at least two phones. We recall the joke by the late Roger Clarke, who demonstrated how Jamaicans can ‘call’ themselves if they wanted to from any of their three cell phones at the time. The mobile market and access to cell phones in Jamaica make the country very ready for this leap forward.

ALLEVIATE BURDEN

Mobile applications and devices can have advantages on both sides. Patients will be able to closely monitor their health. Persons with non-communicable diseases can especially benefit from this, since they need close monitoring and immediate intervention when required. The physician can quickly and more accurately make diagnoses and, therefore, evidence-based interventions will come much sooner to improve outcomes.

Most communities in Jamaica have access to a health centre, yet health-seeking behaviour is not high. A part of the reason for this is because of the other costs associated with seeking care (such as transportation and meals). Mobile technology can help to alleviate some of this burden and allow for better access to health workers at the community level.

Mobile health will, therefore, revolutionise the way people seek care generally. Waiting time will be less, travel time will be reduced, less resources will be spent to seek care, health information will be more readily available and overall efficiency will be improved.

- Doug Halsall is the chairman and CEO of Advanced Integrated Systems. Email feedback to doug.halsall@gmail.com and editorial@gleanerjm.com.