Overcoming Patient Barriers During Doctor Visits

by Holly Shoemaker

I previously discussed simple ways doctors may enhance patient awareness by choosing the most appropriate method of communication. Along with that, are important considerations and barriers that may affect how patients communicate and take in information.

Barriers that Affect Patients

• Bedside Manner – How a doctor projects him or herself affects how patients communicate. Just like a physician needs to take into consideration how patients learn, patients need to understand how a doctor communications and listens.
• Fear of Speaking Out – If patients become insecure or their personalities clash with a doctor's bedside manner, they speak less. Patients may feel they lack the ability to challenge what a doctor says. Because a doctor may be viewed as an authority figure, patients may become timid. Some patients may fear lack of follow-up care if they challenge what a doctor says.
• Multiple Providers – Patients who see multiple provides have different levels of trust with physicians. With those different levels of trust, comes varying degrees of openness. Patients may confuse how they communicates with one doctor, especially those who see multiple ones.
• Insecurity – There are many reasons patients may not open up to a doctor, and insecurity may stem from many of them. If patients perceive a doctor is not listening, or a patient does not understand the information communicated, they will not ask follow-up questions. Patients then take on less of a role in their own care. Anytime a patient perceives negative treatment from a medical professional, it affects treatment.

Information Changes Medical Care

Because the internet, apps and other technologies provide so much information, patients have more material available to them to research concerns and conditions. Armed with research, patients may be more willing to become involved in making decisions about their own care. However, too much information may cause an unwillingness to listen to what a doctor says. 

Concluding Thoughts

A willingness to listen and demonstrate patience on both sides will help patient awareness. When patients take steps to ensure they have knowledge and understand how barriers affect them, they then become the catalysts needed to change doctor-patient relationships.

Medical Mobile App Clearance Times Decrease

by Holly Shoemaker

The Emergo Group, a medical device consulting firm, has provided updated information that shows the time it takes for apps that undergo the 510(k) process has decreased.

Numbers at a Glance

The study shows that medical mobile apps that undergo the 510(k) process takes about 138 days to receive clearance from the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2011, which was down from 146 days in 2010.

The data analysis took submissions through the end of 2011 to look at a 12-month data set. The analysis showed that 95 to 97 percent of all 510(k) applications received FDA clearance within one year of submission.

What is 510(k)?

The 510(k) status is a pre-market submission made to the FDA to show that a device may be marketed as safe and effective. Introducing a new device or changing the usage are some reasons for needing this clearance. The FDA publishes further guidelines here.

Good News for Developers 

One of the hurdles for developers designing medical mobile apps was the time needed for clearance. Any additional delay meant using more time, money and other resources. What the study found was that many medical mobile apps have a shorter wait time for clearance when compared to other devices.

Another study by MobiHealth News found 76 cleared apps in the FDA’s 510(k) database, and the average clearance time was less than the time reported by Emergo Group. This study found the clearance time was 25 days shorter between 1997 and 2012, with an average time of 110 days.

Outstanding Issue

Developers continue to debate what the time for clearance actually means. The FDA’s data defines the dates as when the agency receives the 510(k) application and the official “decision date.” Some developers and companies say the wait for clearance is longer because discussions occur before the actual filing of the application.

While medical mobile apps requiring FDA clearance takes more planning, developers have many tools to assist them. I still recommend using Happtique guidelines to assist, as that app store dedicates itself to just health apps.

Concluding Thoughts

No matter which study patients believe has more validity, both show progress when it comes to medical mobile apps clearance. That is untimely good news for patients too because they gain access to better quality information. Once approved, the device is deemed safe and effective, which helps marketing efforts and branding.

Simple Communication Steps to Enhance Patient Awareness

by Holly Shoemaker

While healthcare changes are on the horizon, doctors and medical professionals still face challenges regarding the best ways to keep patients informed. Before deciding on the tool used to communicate information, physicians and medical professionals need to ensure they choose the most appropriate way of communicating with patients.

Simple Steps to Follow

• Make Information Available in Many Ways – Simply put, people learn in different ways. Some are auditory learners, others learn by reading, some are kinesthetic learners and others need a variety of approaches. Doctors should consider these methods when communicating with patients and understand how patients best process information. Verbally mentioning information is not always enough to truly communicate. Providing information in a written form, or along with a visual, reinforces points and helps patient remember information related to their own care or conditions of family members and friends.
• Jargon – While patients need access to healthcare information in multiple forms, verbal communication will remain a primary way to communicate with a doctor. Many medical terms may be out the realm of a lay person’s vocabulary. Doctors should ensure they tailor their speech and communicate in terms that reach all patients.
• A Word Is Not Always Enough – Do not always assume that a patient may take a medical professional at his/her word. Use of current research will reinforce suggestions and may serve as a way to open up further dialog, or make a patient feel they may ask questions to better process information.

Concluding Thoughts

By first ascertaining the ways patients take in information, doctors and medical professionals may then decide on the proper channels of communication. The technology itself only becomes effective after the medical community first learns how patients take in information to stay informed.

Johns Hopkins Likely to Set Benchmarks for Medical Mobile Apps

by Holly Shoemaker

Johns Hopkins University has announced that as part of its Global mHealth Initiative it has started researching and analyzing current medical mobile apps. This is an impressive undertaking as Research2Guidance, a market research firm, estimated that there are over 40,000 mobile health apps on the market.

Research Overview

Johns Hopkins will conduct 49 studies. Its goals are to evaluate current health app offerings, and examine what strategies work best to assist doctors, medical professionals and consumers. The Global mHealth Initiative will compare how well the apps work against traditional methods such as clinic visits.

Alan Labrique, director of the Johns Hopkins Global Health Initiative, acknowledged that case studies only go so far. He said people need to have the willingness to use technology and follow advice for an app to work. In the end, patients will need to embrace technology so they better understand how to monitor and change behaviors that affect health.

Concluding Thoughts

While many apps come with disclaimers, doctors and patients will feel more secure by using apps recommended from a reputable university like Johns Hopkins. Its research will add to the legitimacy of medical mobile apps and likely help standardize best practices for developers.

Upcoming Legislation Shows We Should Rethink Telemedicine

By Holly Shoemaker

I have discussed in previous blogs how physicians and medical professionals will rely more on smartphones, tablets and medical mobile apps in the coming years. Many say the smartphone industry and tablets have served as catalysts in driving healthcare reform. In reality, the latest technologies could be categorized as an extension of telemedicine. Doctors and medical professionals have used web tools and video conferencing to deliver patient care and converse with specialists for years.

Upcoming Medicine Bill Should Promote Mobile E-Health Solutions

Sen. Tom Udall (D – New Mexico) is expected to introduce a bill that would grant physicians an easier way to practice medicine in multiple states. While the bill has not gone beyond the draft stage, it has the potential to assist doctors in improving patient care. The bill would also create standardized data for physician information like background checks, hospital privileges and patients’ claim histories.

Current Concerns

The biggest issue deals with incentives. Those who do not support the bill have said they need “medical buy in." They say they would lose money because of the licensing fees now generated to practice medicine in multiple states.

The Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) does not support the initial draft because of state licensing issues. Udall has stated the new draft will address those concerns by offering incentives to states that allow physicians to practice in multiple ones.

Concluding Thoughts

One of the biggest benefits will come to those in rural areas. By allowing physicians the ability to practice in multiple states, and granting specialists reciprocity to consult on cases, those who live far from hospitals and specialists, could receive needed care in their homes.

Easing state regulations and licensing fees also has the potential to allow medical professionals to feel more secure about sharing information via tablets and smartphones. In general, the public should start thinking about how medical mobile apps, smartphones and tablets promote telemedicine.