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A report from US Spyglass Consulting Group shows increased physician adoption of smart phone technology. But physicians cite both an information glut and difficulty communicating with colleagues as barriers to efficient use of the technology. According to the study, 94 percent of physicians interviewed use smart phones to manage personal and business workflows, and access medical information. In 2006, a similar Spyglass survey showed just under 60 percent of physicians were using the technology.
Highlights of the report:
Physicians experiencing difficulties connecting with colleagues
Seventy-eight percent of physicians interviewed were experiencing difficulties accessing and communicating with colleagues in a timely manner. Physicians are busy mobile professionals who are constantly on the go and are not always available when they are needed. Many lack financial incentives to be more accessible because the current fee-for-service reimbursement system encourages physicians to focus on the quantity vs. the quality of healthcare delivered. Non-essential phone or e-mail communications with colleagues and patients are seen as nonreimbursable distractions.
Physicians overwhelmed by the volume of incoming communications

Physicians interviewed report they are overwhelmed by the daily volume of communications received from colleagues, care team members, and patients. They lack automated tools to manage voice mail, pager messages, SMS messages, and electronic mail. They are forced to continually check separate data silos and manually filter and prioritize communications based upon sender, subject and priority. Critical communications easily fall through the cracks.

Physicians lack standardized processes to coordinate patient care

Fifty-six percent of physicians interviewed were concerned about lack of standardized processes for transitioning care between colleagues. Patient hand off process used by hospital-based physicians and the patient referral process used by community-based physicians are informal and ad hoc which can introduce medical errors into the patient care process.

Read more: http://www.spyglass-consulting.com/press_releases/SpyglassPR_POC_Comm_Physicians_2010.v1.0.pdf

Source: Physician Smartphone Adoption Experiencing Exponential Growth
Date: July 23, 2010

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 4th, 2010 at 2:21 pm and is filed under Longwoods Online.