Mobile Information Technology: Insights from CollaboratorsI have selected a mobile app that I hope will help in the improvement of patient outcomes in healthcare settings via the further enhancement of care coordination. Thus, I interviewed my Chief Medical Officer (CMO) - Derrick Butler MD; Clinical Medical Director (CMD) - Dr Mann MD; and Assist Medical Director - Nnennaya Omerigbo MD.

The interviewees in this case play diverse roles in my organization. For this reason, there were some unique set of questions tailored for each interviewee, in addition to the common set of questions that sought to provide a general overview of the issues under consideration. The questions I asked are summarized in Appendix 1.

Results

It is important, from the onset, to note that all interviewees underlined the need for collaboration with various stakeholders in the development of the selected mobile app. Stakeholders in this case include, but they are not limited to, end users, healthcare professionals, and actual app developers. Also, all participants were in agreement that indeed, mobile information technology has had significant impact in the delivery of care in healthcare settings. This is particularly the case when it comes to the further enhancement of convenience and efficiency in access to the relevant information.

The Clinical Medical Director (CMD) - Dr Mann MD, was of the opinion that as far as evidence based practice is concerned, mobile information technology has contributed towards the enhancement of information accessibility for both patients and providers. The CMD was categorical that in the past, due to information overload, nurses and other providers of care have often found it challenging to seamlessly integrate evidence into practice. The CMD cites the diverse ways in which information is organized and presented in journals and similar sources as a stumbling block towards the successful adaptation of the said information into clinical practice. Mobile information technology serves as a more uniform and organized information conduit. The CMD was also of the opinion that there are specific approaches healthcare institutions ought to adopt in an attempt to improve outcomes in the delivery of care by harnessing mobile information technology. Towards this end, the CMD advised that in addition to sorting out information to separate meaningful from the less-meaningful information (to avoid information overload), healthcare institution ought to find a way to convert the said info into better outcomes. This is more so the case given that without such a conversion, the entire exercise could turn out to be meaningless.

The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) - Derrick Butler MD, was...

Towards this end, the CMO cited the need to further enhance convenience so as to ensure that information is not only available, but also accessible at both the right place and time. The CMO also pointed out that there is need to filter information so as to ensure that only the most meaningful information is availed or presented. When asked about the main challenge encountered in the implementation as well as operationalization of mobile information technology in a healthcare setting, the CMO cited financial costs as a key impediment. According to the CMO, The financial costs associated with both the implementation and operationalization of mobile information technology could be prohibitive. In essence, costs in this case could include, but they are not limited to, the acquisition of hardware, user skill enhancement, integration of the relevant security features so as to guarantee the safety as well as confidentiality of data, etc.
The Assistant Medical Director - Nnennaya Omerigbo MD, was of the opinion that developers of mobile information technologies ought to take into consideration several factors to further enhance the applicability of their creations. For instance, the Assist Medical Director pointed out that the relevance of simplicity cannot be overstated on this front. This is to say that such technologies must not only be straight forward, but also uncluttered. Further, according to the Assist Medical Director, mobile information technologies should also be sensitive to the preferences of various groups of users. When asked whether there were issues she was concerned with, regarding the utilization of mobile information technology in healthcare settings, the Assist Medical Director was of the opinion that data privacy remains one of the key concerns on this front. With the use of mobile information technology, there is always the risk that the medical information of patients, as well as other data such as email address, residence, date of birth etc., could be accessed by unauthorized persons.

Discussion

During the last few decades, the advent of technology has brought with itself various changes in a wide range of settings. Businesses continue to implement technology to not only improve productivity, but also enhance efficiency. Educational institutions have also embraced technology in an attempt to further advance their instructional methodologies. Healthcare institutions have not been left behind. Today, health care institutions use technology to enhance the delivery of care so as to improve patient outcomes. The…