Mobile health (mHealth) technologies are becoming an increasingly ubiquitous tool for communication between patients and their providers.

Mobile health (mHealth) technologies are becoming an increasingly ubiquitous tool for communication between patients and their providers. According to the 3^rd Annual HIMMS Mobile Technology Survey, 83 percent of physician respondents are currently using mHealth technologies to provide better patient care.

mHealth applications and technologies empower providers with important information about each individual’s health status outside clinical settings to help achieve and maintain optimal health as well, meaning that these tools are designed not only to make health care management more efficient, but that they are also used to increase qualitative care.

In terms of patient use, a recent article in Government Health IT cites studies revealing that close to 80 percent of patients forget what they are told at the doctor’s office due to factors including age, stress and anxiety. Patient engagement via mobile technology provides access to important health information in a timely and convenient manner, so that patients can shift from “passive observers to active users of resources that support self-management.”

mHealth applications are not only driving engagement with existing patients, they’re also driving new demographics to interface with their own health data for the first time, including some of the notoriously difficult-to-reach youth demographic. With nearly 70 percent of total mobile traffic expected to come from smartphone usage by 2017, it’s no wonder that mHealth applications are gaining sway for both their convenience and an ability to truly impact how one engages with health care data.

Understanding the significance and value these tools have to offer, CNSI has developed our own application to foster coordinated care. The MyHealthButton app, which promotes the advancement of health care management within mobile technology, allows individuals to efficiently gather and organize data in order to make informed decisions on their health care needs.

While mHealth has grown exponentially in the past decade, there is still plenty of opportunity for expansion. As we enter the next stage in mHealth development, CNSI looks forward to the industry innovations that will foster new technologies that will in turn cut costs and improve health care management for both patients and providers.

Which mHealth technologies have you used? Which do you think have been the most beneficial? Tweet @CNSICorp to let us know! Follow CNSI on Twitter.