Mobile health is starting to come of age. In 2010, the Pew Internet and American Life Project reported that just 17 percent of cell phone owners used their devices to look up health information. But in a study released Thursday, the organization said that figure has climbed to 31 percent.
Mobile health is unsurprisingly even more popular among smartphone users, with 52 percent saying they have consulted their gadgets with medical questions.
The study, which is based on a national survey of more than 3,000 U.S. adults, also revealed that young adults and minorities are more likely to use their phones for health information. Caregivers and those who recently went through a medical crisis or significant change in their health status are other groups more likely to jump on the mobile health bandwagon.
Among healthcare providers and public health organizations, delivering health reminders and information via text message is gaining traction – the Centers for Disease Control, startups and health providers are all starting to use text messages to help patients quit smoking, control hypertension, manage diabetes and other conditions. But though 80 percent of cell phone owners say they send and receive text messages in general, Pew said just a small minority (9 percent) of them send or receive text alerts related to health. Read full article here
SA-HIS provides access for doctors to EMR data on Android Samsung Galaxy Tablets
The post Smartphone owners and doctor in their pocket appeared first on SA-HIS.