mHealth adoption barriers focus of third insights guide from Vodafone

As part of its global mobile healthcare initiative, Vodafone Global Enterprise recently released the third chapter in the series of mHealth insights guides. The mHealth insights guide - Privacy & Regulation - continues the discussion around the varying barriers to mHealth technology adoption. Whilst patients are becoming more actively involved in their own care, how can the protection of data be ensured? And as medical and telecommunication devices converge, what constitutes a medical device and how can regulation be applied?
 
Research shows both doctors and healthcare funders list privacy and security concerns as barriers to greater use of mHealth; whilst the US Federal Communications Commission formed a mHealth task force to explore its regulatory capacity for mHealth technologies. These, and other developments within mHealth, lead to Vodafone examining the implications in more detail in this report.
 
The range of opportunities for mobile technology within the health sector is almost limitless. Emerging network and mobile technologies will help to transform the health industry. Healthcare professionals need to make efficient use of their time and companies in the sector need to maximise their budgets and strengthen their market position by overcoming the key barriers identified.
 
Vodafone has been active in healthcare for over a decade and set up Vodafone mHealth Solutions in 2009 within its Vodafone Global Enterprise unit.
 
Vodafone Global Enterprise provides services to Vodafone’s multinational customers, including most of the world’s leading pharmaceutical, medical technology and health insurance providers.
 
The insights guide from Vodafone identifies that roughly one-half of patients interviewed by PwC in a (2012) global survey “Emerging mHealth: Paths for Growth” predict that mHealth will improve the convenience (52%), quality (48%) and cost (46%) of their healthcare in the next three years.
 
For more information about mobile health, download the Vodafone insights guide.
 
Furthermore, Vodafone Global Enterprise invites you to join the mHealth debate at http://mhealth.vodafone.com/linkedin - “an active LinkedIn discussion group with international perspectives on the current trends, issues and vision for the international healthcare sector.”
 

Contact Information

Tony Kane

Head of mHealth Solutions

Vodafone Global Enterprise

tony.kane@vodafone.com