Photo by Daniela Amdan, courtesy Grupo Convergencia.
The tenth edition of “The Latin American Mobile Revolution”, held in Buenos Aires on the 28th of June, featured a specialized m-health panel. Patient monitoring, prevention, management and treatment are some of the areas in which mobile devices can be implemented to improve healthcare services.
Is mobile health a key factor in improving hospital services?
The three speakers who shared their knowledge and experiences in the incorporation of new healthcare technologies were Doctor Hugo Villafañe, Director of Operations at LamMovil; Doctor Daniel Luna, Head of the Health IT Department at the Hospital Italiano of Buenos Aires; and Raúl Urrutigoity, Head of Health Latam at Telefónica Digital.
Hugo Villafañe said that the objective of Lam Movil is to integrate devices and bring information monitoring to mobile devices. Movihealth, developed by the company, is a support system for health monitoring and a useful tool for preventative and monitoring activities. Its functions are based on the combination of information compiled by different, conventional measurement equipment such as scales, blood pressure monitors and glucometers.
“The LamMovil project is a great opportunity to create a more participative IT system, as the doctors, patients and family members can use mobile devices or the internet to monitor all the details recorded,” he said.
With regard to stimulating the relationship between professional and healthcare service users, Doctor Daniel Luna said: “At the Hospital Italiano we use mobile health so that the patient can be an active participant in our IT system.”
Furthermore, the Head of the IT Department said that the objective is to help individuals to self-manage their own needs. For example, the mobile device adaptation for the Hospital Italiano website is an application that can facilitate requests for appointments, access to information and communication with the healthcare equipment via a mobile telephone, the internet or text message.
One of the most promising aspects of M-Health is its efficiency and the speed of the service. The Hospital Italiano has set up self-service terminals in waiting rooms so that users can obtain the same benefits as are available with mobile devices or on the internet while they wait to see a doctor. “Another interesting aspect of the software is that it provides access to the medical record, requests for home delivery of medication and a search function for consults, among other benefits,” said Luna.
Sharing this optimistic outlook, Raúl Urrutigoity agreed on the idea of incentivizing M-Health and stated: “An average of seven out of ten consults could be avoided and carried out at home, via mobile devices, tele-consults, text messages or email.” The Head of Health Latam at Telefónica Digital added: “New technologies are changing, they are offering another option and this is where we can converge with healthcare.
“Today’s technology is allowing us to dispense with the need to carry around test results, today the information is distributed over the internet and can be accessed at any of the institutions,” explained Urrutigoity.
The “Latin American Mobile Revolution” event made it clear that the inclusion of ICTs in everyday life is a fact and that mobile health, in particular, is a path towards transformation that can help: to build a more solid relationship between professionals and patients, adapt new tools and make citizens aware of how important it is to monitor their wellbeing.
