Physicians to Rely More on Mobile Apps and Medical Technologies in 2012

by Holly Shoemaker

This year, physicians and medical professionals will rely more on mobile medical apps. In November 2011, the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) published its survey results regarding smartphone, tablet and mobile app use in the medical community.

Numbers at a Glance

The study, based on replies from doctors, dentists, healthcare providers, administrators and 400 IT firms that specialize in healthcare IT indicate the following:

• Fifty percent of physicians use smartphones for work purposes.
• Thirty-eight percent of those surveyed physicians use medical apps daily. This figure is expected to increase by at least 12 percent in 2012.
• One-third of smartphone users rely on them to access Electronic Medical Record (EMR) or Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems.
• Twenty-five percent of healthcare providers use tablets for professional purposes. The survey results indicate that another 21 percent of healthcare providers expect to use tablets in 2012.
  
• Two-thirds of the respondents said improving mobile technologies is a priority in 2012.

Concluding Thoughts

The data supports my observations as medical practices and hospitals work to modernize their systems. These figures show that physicians and healthcare professionals are working on improving patient relations. Many doctors also spend more time out of the office. This makes mobile medical apps a necessity to meet the standards of patient care.