The Covid19 pandemic has significantly disrupted how most industries operate and the health sector has not been an exception. Most patients and other people requiring some form of services from hospitals and other related healthcare institutions have not been able to physically access these services as a result of the lockdowns, curfews, and the social distancing rules that have been put in place. For others, it has been out of fear of contracting the virus. Whichever the case, the health industry has had to look into other ways of delivering vital healthcare services to those who need it amidst these conditions and also to think of how health services will operate post-COVID. Mobile technology has come up as a possible solution to these challenges faced by the industry and in this podcast Kaakpema Yelpaala, founder and CEO of access.mobile, looks at the role mobile technology is currently playing during this period and how it can be leveraged to provide more solutions.
Kaakpema rightly acknowledges that this Covid19 period has resulted in a lot of confusion in patients and even healthcare providers as to what information is correct and reliable ( American Health Association, 2020). There is a great need for clear and consistent information to those needing healthcare services on what is available, where it can be found, and when it is accessible. Mobile technology has helped solve this issue with hospitals and other health institutions using mobile text platforms to pass critical information to their users. According to him, people tend to trust information when it comes from their regular care providers thus the text messaging to clients has helped in disseminating much-needed information. He provides some statistics concerning text messaging where it has been found that there was an 8x increase in the use of messaging for healthcare-related content by people between February and April this year ( American Health Association, 2020) . This shows the critical role mobile technology is already playing in connecting health care providers and their clients/ patients during this Covid19 period.
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The podcast highlights the practical usage of mobile technology in a program meant for elderly persons in Los Angeles where onsite get-togethers are organized via mobile text and the hospitals can find out the current needs of the patients without having to meet in person. The program has been linked to other non-clinical services such as food provision with the people being asked via text whether they require food provision and the same is distributed by the hospital ( American Health Association, 2020). Statistics are also given in the discussion to ensure that the information given in the podcast is reliable and not just hearsay. The use of mobile technology during this period has also been witnessed in rural areas where a 10% clickthrough rate has been witnessed compared to a 2% average for general industry content implying that there has been deliberate and effective use of mobile technology by the health industry during this COVID period ( American Health Association, 2020). This fact was important in the podcast as it showed that mobile technology use was not biased against rural communities.
The podcast also touched on the future of mobile technology in the health industry where it could be used in telemedicine, remote diagnostics, and other ways of broadening patient management. The dangers of mobile technology in health were also touched on indicating how if not used properly, innovations could increase the racial and economic disparities witnessed in access to healthcare during this pandemic period ( American Health Association, 2020). This makes the discussion a bit more balanced and wholesome.
It is my personal opinion that mobile technology will continue to play a major role in the health industry as this pandemic persists and even after it has been managed. Discussions such as these in the podcast should increase to alert people to the possibilities that are available with mobile technology and may just trigger more innovators to come up with solutions for the industry. I agree with the podcast that as economies begin to slowly open up, mobile technology will become even more crucial as people who were restricted from accessing their regular healthcare needs will need to have clear instructions and information on how they can access the required needs and mobile technology provides a quick and cost-effective method of doing this. It may take some time for things to go back to normal if they ever will, and mobile technology enables the dissemination of crucial information in a safe and timely manner as normalcy slowly returns.
By showing the opportunities and threats that come with mobile technology, the podcast balances out the discussion for those who would argue for and against the inclusion of mobile technology. However, the speaker does not leave it there and rightfully gives solutions to avoiding these threats and ensuring that technology creates a positive impact in all aspects of healthcare. The podcast is also not long, only 10 minutes, meaning even those with a short attention span can listen to it and not have to sit down for a long period listening to a people one cannot see. The guest speaker, Kaakpema, also regularly backs up his assertions with facts and numbers giving the discussion more credibility.
The hunger for mobile technology in the health industry is indisputable, and the Covid19 pandemic has provided a platform for the acceleration of innovations meant for the health industry. With physical meetings and gatherings being discouraged, mobile technology will play a huge role in ensuring that disruptions to services are at a minimum. The healthcare industry has an opportunity to work with technology providers to come up with solutions that may even improve service delivery to levels above what was observed pre-COVID. The podcast was quite welcome and should be expanded to look into the details of how tech and health can work together to provide more value to patients and improve their health outcomes.
Reference
American Health Association. (host). (2020, 10 June). “Recharging to Better Connect During COVID19”, [Audio podcast], Retrieved from https://www.aha.org/advancing-health-podcast
