mHealth for healthcare professionals: A systematic review

Abstract
BACKGROUND:
The use of mobile devices (eg. smartphones, tablet computers) by health care professionals
(HCP) has transformed many aspects of clinical practice and subsequently there has been a
growth in mobile applications (apps). Mobile devices have become commonplace in health care
settings, leading to rapid growth in the development of medical software applications (apps) for
these platforms. Concurrently, mobile devices have been integrated into health care practice due
to the availability and quality of medical apps. Numerous apps are now available to assist HCPs
with many important tasks, such as: information and time management; health record
maintenance and access; communications and consulting; reference and information gathering;
patient management and monitoring; clinical decision-making; and medical education and
training. These mobile medical apps offer increased access to clinical references and point-of-
care tools. However, there has been little identification of mobile medical apps suitable for the
practice of healthcare professionals.

According to Statista Research, the market for mobile health apps is expected to quadruple to
$500 million by 2016 as global sales of smartphones are expected to hit 2.53 billion units by
2018. The numbers represent the advent of yet another revolution in the healthcare industry.
Medical applications have evolved as useful tools in the practice of medicine at the point of care,
in addition to their use in mobile clinical communication. They allow HCPs to make rapid
decisions, enhance the quality of data management and accessibility and increase practice
efficiency and knowledge.

Though mobile apps are new to healthcare practices, they will be the defining factors for patient
engagement in the near future.

Healthcare professionals can use medical devices and apps for many purposes, most of which
can be grouped under five broad categories:
Administration
Health record maintenance and access
Communications and consulting
Reference and information gathering
Medical education

HCPs require access to many types of resources in a clinical setting, including:

Communication capabilities voice calling, video conferencing, text and e-mail
Hospital information systems (HISs) electronic health records (EHRs), electronic
medical records (EMRs), clinical decision support systems (CDSSs), picture archiving
and communication systems (PACSs) and laboratory information systems (LISs)
Informational resources textbooks, guidelines, medical literature, drug references
Clinical software applications disease diagnosis aids, medical calculators

Any healthcare operations facility, a hospital or practice, is often highly dispersed with multiple
channels such as clinics, inpatient wards, outpatient services, emergency departments, operating
theaters, intensive care units and labs. Consequently, HCPs not only need to be mobile
themselves, they also need to be able to communicate and collaborate with people in different
locations. Mobile devices satisfy this need by offering multiple means of communication,
including: voice and video calling; and text, e-mail, multimedia messaging and video
conferencing. Clinical communication apps are available for mobile devices that are specifically
designed to simplify communication among clinicians. Furthermore, mobile devices have been
proven to improve contact between HCPs and their colleagues.
OBJECTIVE:
To address the usability and benefits of mobile medical apps for healthcare professionals.

DATA SOURCES:
Comprehensive literature searches were undertaken using key medical subject heading search
terms on PubMed, Google Scholar, and grey literature sources. Mobile medical apps were
identified via the iTunes and Google Play Stores via the "Medical" app categories and key word
searches (eg. drug information, medical calculators). In addition, reviews provided by
professional mobile medical app review websites were used to identify apps.

STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION:

Mobile medical apps were included if they had been updated in the previous 3 months, were
available in the India, used evidence-based information or literature support, had dedicated app
support, and demonstrated stability. Exclusion criteria included apps that were not available in
English, had advertisement bias, used nonreferenced sources, were available only via an
institution-only subscription, and were web-based portals.
DATA SYNTHESIS:
Twenty-seven mobile apps were identified and reviewed that involved general pharmacy
practice, including apps that involved drug references, clinical references, medical calculators,
laboratory references, news and continuing medical education, and productivity.
CONCLUSIONS:
Mobile medical apps have a variety of features that are beneficial to pharmacy practice.
Individual clinicians should consider several characteristics of these apps to determine which are
suitable to incorporate into their daily practice.

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