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accessawareness

www.accessmagazine.co.uk

In its publication mHealth: Newhorizons for health through mobiletechnologies*, the World Health

Organisation defines mHealth as“Medical and public health practicesupported by mobile devices, such asmobile phones, patient monitoringdevices, personal digital assistants(PDAs), and other wireless devices”

mHealth is something that is set toaffect everyone. It has the potential tomake visits to the hospital or doctor lessfrequent, as advice is increasinglyprovided online rather than through face-to-face consultations. Through mHealth,people can monitor their own conditionsand use a mobile phone, tablet computeror other device to upload their health datato software that will then gauge thenature of their condition. If the readingstaken are out of their ‘normal’ range,appropriate advice can swiftly be sent viaelectronic means to help the person’scondition improve.

Cost savingsAnother feature of mHealth systems isthat they can be connected to externalsensors, new varieties of which are beingdeveloped all the time. These sensorsmight be designed to be worn throughoutthe day or at specific times, with the datathey gather being automaticallytransferred to some form of monitoringsoftware. Health professionals maytherefore potentially not be involved in anindividual’s care until a critical situationcalls for it – in which case, theaforementioned software will alert thehealth professional who can then takeappropriate action.

The main reason for using mHealthwidely is that there are clear cost savingsin doing so. Millions of people can bemonitored by software, and only when

Guy Dewsburyexplains how and whymHealth has thepotential to usher in anew era of medicine…

A sign of things to come – theUS-developed BodyGuardian

Remote Monitoring Systemalready lets physicians remotely

monitor the biometric data ofoutpatients over the internet

their health deteriorates willprofessionals have to get involved. Thiswould have the effect of freeing up healthand social care resources and de-cluttering hospitals and health centres.

Another factor is that information cannow be securely stored online. In time,everyone’s personal electronic healthrecords will be held online where theycan be sharedbetween healthprofessionals asand when required.Access to onlinehealth data couldalso lead to thedevelopment ofmobile apps able to provide personalisedhealth suggestions and guidance.

If and when professional interventionis required, it’s likely that this willinitially take the form of a video call to aperson’s home, enabling them show theprofessional areas that may be injured orinflamed, for example – just as people cando with a webcam today.

Not rocket scienceAs new technologies emerge over thecoming years, mHealth will be able toadapt to them. One example is thedevelopment of location-based services,similar to the GPS-enabled map apps thatsmartphone users will be familiar with.

Location-based mHealth could providethe precise whereabouts of a personshould they suddenly become ill, and sendthe relevant location data directly to anambulance or health professional who canthen promptly attend to the person.

This might all seem a little ‘space age’,but to ensure that people can continue toobtain the expertise and treatment theyneed, digital healthcare systems based on

mHealth conceptswill have to beadopted by ourlocal authoritiesand institutions inthe years ahead.

It could wellmean that people’s experience ofhealthcare in the future will be a little lesspersonal – to the point where actuallyspeaking to someone face to face will besomething you have to pay for if you notwish to use a digital service.

It is therefore essential to beprepared for the transition, as it ishappening now. If you are not currentlya regular user of modern informationtechnology (computers, mobile phones,tablet devices) it might be worthenquiring at colleges and othereducation providers in your local areaabout technology lessons. Ultimately,the move towards mHealth is worldwideand inevitable.

“The main reason forusing mHealth widely isthat there are clear cost

savings in doing so”

*Avilable as a PDF from goo.gl/TL0t9

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