This is a sign that I found just above the magazine rack. It demonstrates the large ocean between the excitement on the mhealth frontier and implementation within medical practices and hospitals. There is alot of work yet to be done.
However, I am not discouraged. Just because something is hard does not mean that it is wrong. Reducing the ocean that divides mhealth excitement and implementation is certainly possible. A marathon rather than a sprint is what it will take, and I am certainly a runner in this exciting race.
We can't have patients and their families having easy access to information while they are being treated can we!
ReplyDeleteThe issues go further than whether or not information is available to patients. There is the issue that phone use (talking on the phone, and the sound of phones ringing) is often considered rude and disconcerting to other people waiting, and the fear that the radio emissions to and from the phones will upset one or another pieces of medical apparatus.
ReplyDeleteWhether or not the radiofrequency interference issue is real (and the latest insulin-pump security issues suggest it might be -- but not necessarily on cellphone or WiFi frequencies), the perception of it as real and the fear of people initiating liability lawsuits based on that perception, inform hospital policies.
The above two comments illustrate the differing worlds from which patients/families and providers/institutions come about health care social media.
ReplyDeleteBecause the web (and WiFi) are ubiquitous, and because access to information is power, institutions will need to learn to accommodate patients and families. Fear of liability is an insufficient reason to attempt to limit information flow.
The thing is: that's the same sign that's been in place for what, 20 years now? This issue relating to phone use/frequency interference might have been a concern back in the 90s or even a decade ago, but this is 2011... I think John said it correctly in that "institutions will need to learn to accommodate..." They must embrace both worlds.
ReplyDelete