By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    medicare part d benefits
    Everything that You Need to Know About Medicare Part D
    August 15, 2022
    Best Ways to Boost Your Immune System this Winter
    Best Ways to Boost Your Immune System this Winter
    November 15, 2022
    back pain issues
    Ways to Treat Constant Back Pain
    August 21, 2023
    Latest News
    How Probate Planning Shapes the Future of Your Estate and Family Care
    July 17, 2025
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    More On Wellness Programs To Improve Health and Reduce Costs
    January 25, 2012
    Privatizing Social Security and Medicare: Who Can Defuse Political Dynamite?
    June 12, 2011
    Study: Risk of Death in Elderly Patients with Dementia Doubled with Some Antipsychotic Medications
    February 26, 2012
    Latest News
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
    How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
    July 17, 2025
    How communities and healthcare providers can address slip and fall injuries with legal awareness
    July 17, 2025
    Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
    July 6, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Making Health Mobile
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > eHealth > Mobile Health > Making Health Mobile
eHealthMobile Health

Making Health Mobile

Diana Kwon
Diana Kwon
Share
7 Min Read
mhealth
SHARE

First published in the McGill Daily

mhealthThe mobile phone is closer and closer to becoming a universal device. Banking, media, and communication are now on our mobile devices. One can envision a near future where our lives could fit into our back pocket.

First published in the McGill Daily

mhealthThe mobile phone is closer and closer to becoming a universal device. Banking, media, and communication are now on our mobile devices. One can envision a near future where our lives could fit into our back pocket.

More Read

HIPAA Data Breach Economic Impact
Healthcare Industry Loses $7 Billion Due to HIPAA Data Breaches
5 Things CIOs Should Do in Light of the Recent Patient Records Theft
Reimbursement and Convenience Fuel Virtual Healthcare Trend
Mobile Health and Data Safety: Convenience vs. Privacy
HIT Bloggers to Follow on Twitter

Mobile health (mHealth) refers to health applications (apps) on mobile devices. In an age where healthcare costs are increasing and accessibility is decreasing, mHealth provides an avenue through which the growing needs of the population might be met. Though this emerging technology holds much potential, there are still issues that must be addressed.

Internet-based healthcare services for self-diagnosis and advice have been around for a while. Websites such as WebMD provide the tools for online self-diagnosis and direct individuals to see a nurse, doctor, or go to the emergency room if needed.

mHealth technology has the ability to empower individuals to take care of their own health and well-being. According to Shivani Goyal, a researcher at the Centre for Global eHealth Innovation in Toronto, there are two major approaches to mobile technology. One is to help people engage in preventative health by using mobile phones to track, assess, and change bad behaviours. The other is to help people manage long-term conditions requiring medication or careful monitoring.

“Mobile health is changing the model of current healthcare. It’s enabling patients to be informed about their own medical information,” Goyal told The Daily. The Centre for Global eHealth Innovation has developed a number of mHealth applications. These mobile self-management applications include “bant” for individuals with diabetes to collect and track their blood glucose levels, and “breathe” for people with asthma to engage in their own treatment plans.

Another mobile technology application is medical screening. Dr. Nitika Pant Pai, a professor in the Department of Medicine at McGill University, has developed an HIV self-screening smartphone application.

“Mobile health is changing the model of current healthcare. It’s enabling patients to be informed about their own medical information.”

“The patients want access to quality care, they want to be seen quickly, and they want confidentiality,” explained Pai. Before developing the HIV screening app, Pai scouted the field for existing apps and found that many had not been tested or tailored to patients. This provided her main motivation to develop the technology herself.

One of the biggest concerns for existing mHealth technologies is quality control. Currently, there are over 17,000 mHealth applications available to download on app stores, but only a small volume of those have gone through proper evidence-based testing.

“People have to be cognizant of the fact that there are a mixture of people who are making these apps. I would caution people going onto the app store to do research to see where the apps are coming from, who is designing them, and read reviews about their functions,” Shivani told The Daily.

Though the Food and Drug Administration in the United States has made moves to properly test and approve mobile apps used for health procedures such as screening, testing, and providing direct diagnoses, no such regulatory body exists in Canada.

“As far as mHealth approval is concerned, I’m not aware that regulations are in place,” said Pai. “The [technology] is so novel that people don’t know where to place these things. People don’t know [its] potential, people are skeptical, and on some levels, it’s [an] ‘anti-health system.’”

“People have to be cognizant of the fact that there are a mixture of people who are making these apps. I would caution people going onto the app store to do research to see where the apps are coming from, who is designing them, and read reviews about their functions.”

Pai described mHealth as a disruptive technology, in the sense that it provides services that can overlap with those provided by existing healthcare institutions. “Healthcare systems are politicized, have many stakeholders involved, and are very hard to change,” Pai reflected.

As the technology is relatively new, there has not been enough time to develop fast and effective testing strategies for these applications. Currently, those that are being tested are going through the traditional clinical trials model, which can take three to four years – which, in the world of tech, is extremely slow.

Not only does the testing happen at a slow pace, but medical institutions are generally late to adapt new technology. “Healthcare systems take a lot of time to change and adapt a new technology. The reason is that there is a business model in place. There is the healthcare system and the business of the health system. When you introduce a new technology, you are introducing a new technology to the business,” Pai told The Daily.

The emerging field of mHealth technology is hoping to fill the gaps in the current healthcare system while being complementary to it. Though challenges remain, this technology will hopefully provide one way for people to take control of their own health.

Original Post

(mHealth / shutterstock)

Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
Global Healthcare Policy & Law
July 17, 2025
paramedics in surgical gloves and masks
How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
Health care
July 16, 2025
a woman giving a key
How Probate Planning Shapes the Future of Your Estate and Family Care
Health
July 16, 2025
a woman with kinesio tapes on her back arm
How communities and healthcare providers can address slip and fall injuries with legal awareness
Health care
July 16, 2025

You Might also Like

Can We Manage a Democratized Healthcare Technology?

May 21, 2012

Cell Phones vs. Health Care

March 6, 2012
healthcare social media
Social Media

Beyond the Buzz: A Twitter Tool to Better Manage Your Healthcare Marketing

June 13, 2014

Does Anyone Even Understand What’s on Your Hospital Website?

October 31, 2012
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?