A few of the more popular mHealth (mHealth = mobile health) applications ones include: IChart, which may be the most comprehensive mHealth suite of applications available to physicians. Others include apps like IMedDoc (that captures images and allows physicians to load them into patient records), Ist Followup (that allows ER physicians to record significant information about patients to enable easy follow up), Gynotations (that is designed for Gynecologists to record OR and patient visit notes).
Knowing what apps your physicians use can help you to understand how a physician relates technology to his patient's information. There are many applications available to physicians. Understanding a little about the applications that your physicians use can help you to design both training and operations for CDI in a way that is familiar to physicians. The more familiar and at ease physicians feel about the information and processes you are introducing to them, the more likely they will be to cooperate and comply. You can use analogies in teaching that the physicians can relate to. For example, you may mention that just like when they use their _____ (insert app name), the data they get out of it for their own use later, is only as good as the data they input. The more detail now, the better off they (and the patient are later).....
Second, knowing the apps that physicians use can help you to design reports and/or technology interfaces that again, physicians are more likely to comply with. Most apps (with the exception of IChart) are pretty basic and rudimentary - in fact, many are free or just a few dollars to down load, so it's easy for you to take a look and try them out. You might even be able to teach them a few things about how to make better use of the applications. And, there's nothing like a quid pro quo to gain cooperation and support.
One final word on the mHealth apps - they can be both a curse and a blessing to the health system. On one hand, with the evolution of the EHR, physician use of technology in any form is a good thing to prepare them for comprehensive implementation. On the other hand, mHealth can be a HIPAA and an ARRA nightmare. Not only might there be significant issues with protection of PHI, but the use of mHealth devices can further fragment patient information (unless your hospital works closely with physicians to ensure interface between their devices and your systems along with regular downloards)....which is direcvtly counterproductive to the work of the ARRA dollars and meaningful use criteria......
If you do have the conversation with your physicians about mHealth apps, it may also be a good time to learn more about your administration's and IT group's concerns with or policies regarding the use of mHealth applications.
