Is information overrated? Forbes ran an article last month (June 09) asking this very question.
Although it was talking about social media and its impact on world events and society, the question is an interesting one. Is information overrated? Can you have too much access to information?
I am firmly in the camp that the right information, given at the right time, is priceless and if the information you have helps make a decision then you can't have too much information. Irrelevant or poorly presented information can be a distraction, but I don't believe it is as big of a risk as not having all the needed information to make a decision.
Every industry relies on information to make business decisions; healthcare is no exception. Doctors, nurses, and other healthcare practitioners make daily decisions based on the information they have access to, often with life or death consequences. Patients and their families also need information to make informed decisions. Having access to information when a decision needs to be made can be critical; mobile devices can provide this access.
Mobile devices like smartphones (Apple iPhone, RIM Blackberry and Palm Pre) and portable computers (tablets, netbooks, computers-on-wheels) are allowing portable access to vast repositories of information, much of it real-time.
Healthcare providers are using mobile devices to view medical images using tools like 3D4M, which provides high-quality, 3-dimensional images, access to reference material, such as Red Book® (recommendations for diagnosing, treating, and preventing infectious diseases) and Epocrates® (prescription guidelines and test interpretation), and interacts with electronic health record systems with tools like iChart Sync®. Providers can also use mobile devices for communicating with colleagues and staff using secure micro-blogging and instant messaging tools.
Patients can benefit from portable access to information and applications. Patients or their families can use smartphone devices to access and record information. Examples include the patient's ability to test glucose levels and use bluetooth to wirelessly transfer it to an iPhone. The information captured can then be sent to caregivers such as parents or healthcare providers. Also, portable mobile devices can be used to hold a patient's Personal Health Record (PHR), allowing both synchronized updates and direct entry using the device.
As powerful as these applications are, the real power comes from the fact that many of the concepts and technologies used were pioneered in other industries. As a consultant and application architect, I find that it is valuable to look to other industries for inspiration. Often, other industries realize the value of technology before healthcare does. Monitoring how mobile devices are used in other industries can lead to innovations on how they can be used more effectively in healthcare.
Currently, there is a trend to leverage the GPS capabilities of smartphones by retailers to let consumers know where stores are located and when sales and other events happen. This type of thinking could be extended to healthcare. Applications could be developed that connect patients closer to healthcare facilities. Initially, maybe it could be used to help with patient education, but perhaps we can envision an aging population using smart devices to monitor their health or to stay connected in case of falls or other emergencies.
In 2007, many people thought smartphones would be good for two things in healthcare: calling someone for help, and browsing the Web. In 2009, there is so much more these types of devices can do. For example, they can link with other wireless devices to capture information, provide real-time monitoring of vital signs, and play medical education videos. In the coming years, I expect to see applications which will be very hard to imagine now. With enhanced video abilities, including item and facial recognition and video conferencing, I can imagine these devices might eventually be used to capture diagnostic information for analysis and collaboration with healthcare providers.
Consultants and other visionary thinkers are needed to make these types of innovations possible, so expand your thinking and look outside the healthcare field for inspiration. Then, available information on mobile devices will always be relevant.
Don Sheppard is CEO of Sheppard Consultant Services, LLC and a Master Certified I/T Architect with the Open Group. He has over 18 years of experience including 13 years at IBM as CTO for the National Portal Services Practice. Don has designed large, complex web and portal architectures including web 2.0 sites and rich Internet applications in numerous industries, including healthcare.
