As emerging care delivery models demand more from clinicians, the ability to leverage mobile tools for enhanced workload efficiency and quality of care is becoming more attractive. And it seems that physicians are beginning to embrace these on-the-go tools. In fact, recent industry research by Black Book Rankings suggests that nearly 90 percent of primary care and internal medicine doctors are using smartphones, and more than half of physicians are using tablets either for work or in their personal lives. While physicians have not been on the forefront of adopting other kinds of technology, such as electronic health records, mobile applications are gaining popularity at a rapid rate.
The benefits of mobile technology in healthcare are easy to see. Research consistently points to a direct correlation between the time a clinician spends with a patient and improved outcomes. Couple that with advances in mobile applications that allow physicians to do everything from access patient records and decision support to order labs and revise schedules at the point-of-care, and it’s understandable why mobile device use in healthcare is gaining popularity.
As healthcare providers and organizations leverage the advantages associated with deploying mobile applications, two factors are critical to success: 1) clinician adoption, and 2) regular use. The reality is that today’s clinicians are bombarded with new requirements and requests to integrate health IT into their daily schedules, and a lack of user friendliness can result in low adoption rates and ineffective, costly implementations.
Increasingly, healthcare organizations are finding that a provider-centric approach to mobile application development can be the make-or-break element to long-term success. An evolving health IT concept based on the theories of user experience design, this model is built off of direct input from the providers who will use a particular solution, ensuring that developers consider the functionality and usability needed to support common workflows and specific clinician needs. This approach is a departure from past design models that typically targeted IT professionals or senior-level healthcare executives for feedback and input into development.
The value of provider-centric design is obvious. Not only does involving providers in the process ensure they get a product that improves their ability to deliver optimum care, but it also helps those who may be more resistant to change understand how technology can make their jobs easier.
As providers become more engaged in the uptake and use of mobile technology, a clear review of some provider-centric fundamentals should be part of any vendor evaluation process. Listed below are several key considerations that healthcare organizations should take into account when reviewing mobile product options:
1. Does the vendor do its research? A first step in creating a provider-centered product is to learn about the user experience. Vendors should be spending time in the trenches, shadowing clinicians and witnessing first-hand the information they need most and the daily demands on their schedules.
In the case of mobile application development, this step will require a clear understanding of what makes mobile technology effective in healthcare and what information clinicians need at their fingertips. Because mobile workflows are all about efficiency, it’s imperative that clinicians have quick access to the right information at the right time. Developers must determine what information is critical and then take a balanced approach to extraneous information. This will often require building data for small handheld devices first, then scaling up to a broader supply of information for tablets and desktops.
2. Does the vendor actively seek clinician input? To move beyond observation, vendors should directly engage clinicians and invite input into the full development process. This might include clinician interviews and surveys that evaluate past experience with mobile application use (asking, for example, about types of functionality clinicians have found helpful, displays that have proven most user-friendly or designs that are cumbersome and ineffective).
As the design process progresses, vendors should continue to seek feedback, presenting options and piloting designs with clinicians to gauge perceptions and determine satisfaction. Based on that input, modifications can be made or alternative designs suggested before full deployment takes place. This helps to minimize the potential for costly mistakes or bad outcomes after implementation.
3. Does the vendor provide intuitive training? While a user-friendly design should minimize the need for extensive training, vendors should provide educational sessions that make adoption even easier. This could include short videos, web-based modules or super-user mentoring. If a provider-centric approach is truly taken to mobile application development, the need for long, didactic training sessions that take providers away from patient care should be minimal.
4. Does the vendor value open and ongoing provider communication? Vendors that establish expanded client engagement strategies, such as end-user groups, can benefit from the rapport and ongoing communication that promote higher-quality development and future best practices. Companies that invest resources into maintaining these open feedback loops illustrate commitment to long-term customer relationships and satisfaction.
While these key considerations provide a starting point for assessing a vendor’s commitment to provider-centric design, healthcare organizations should do some outside research as well before committing to a specific product. Speaking to organizations that have had experience with a particular mobile application or requesting a usability assessment are always good ideas before signing on the dotted line. Source
