By Bill Foster

Growth in the use of mobile phones, PDAs, tablets, and apps in healthcare is being driven by the need for higher quality, responsive care, greater team collaboration, communication, and workflow efficiency. However, it is critical to get the right mobile devices in place in order to maximize these benefits. How can healthcare technologists and hospitals be sure the mobile solution they deploy will deliver the expected results? Following are seven questions to ask.

1. Is the solution designed for healthcare?
Generic or consumer-grade mobile phones are not designed to address the depth and breadth of the daily realities caregivers experience in the workplace and can put clinicians at a disadvantage in meeting productivity and patient-centered care goals. The BYOD movement raises important concerns about security, performance shortcomings, durability, and battery life/degradation with consumer devices.

Statistics show the use of enterprise-grade, versus consumer-grade, mobile devices in healthcare settings can increase caregiver productivity by three times during an average clinician shift.

Important considerations for enterprise mobility devices include:
• Lightweight and easy to carry, yet durable and able to withstand hospital cleaners
• Provide up to 12-hour battery life to support a full shift
• Hot-swappable battery capabilities to eliminate downtime
• Crystal-clear voice to avoid miscommunication

Beyond devices, an enterprise mobility solution must integrate with existing systems and platforms, creating a unified experience.

2. How will it help caregivers do their jobs better? Can they easily incorporate it into their daily workflows?
Mobile solutions need to provide ready integration with existing hospital communication systems, including EHR platforms, as well as clinical and custom apps that support and enhance workflows. Purpose-built mobile devices and workflow-aligned tools such as integrated barcode scanners can further enhance productivity by automating data entry and time-consuming tasks, like medication administration, while reducing errors and streamlining patient care. Initial go-live and ongoing training for clinicians on how the mobile solution will support their specific workflows is also an important consideration.

3. Will it meet my needs today and tomorrow?
Evolving patient care needs, compliance requirements, clinician expectations, and technological advancements are just a few factors continuously reshaping clinical mobility requirements. Technology needs to be flexible to easily and cost-effectively adapt today and in the future.

Consider whether a solution can scale to support growing populations of clinical users while providing an open platform for easy integration with new applications. Devices should also have versatile features and functionality that can easily support an expanding range of current and future caregiver needs and patient care options, such as telemedicine and remote monitoring.

4. What services/support does the vendor offer to ensure success?
Adoption and ease-of-use are essential to mobile communications success. Services and deployment support are valuable contributors to effective use by clinical care teams. A smart EMM or MDM provides added layers of functionality and can also identify issues like inactive devices or higher than expected battery drain, which could indicate use of poorly designed apps.

Consider the ways the vendor will work to enhance and optimize success, from planning, design, deployment, and training, through ongoing maintenance and support. These critical services can help prevent problems that can limit user adoption or satisfaction while helping your organization realize the full value and ROI of the solution over time.

5. Is it secure?
In a world fraught with the dangers of ransomware, malware, and viruses, it goes without saying that enhanced security is critical in healthcare. It is important for a mobility solution to integrate voice and data with secure text messaging to enable clinicians to safely exchange critical information. Does it keep them in compliance with HIPAA standards even while accessing test results or consulting with a colleague about a patient’s condition? And, are any built-in security device measures included for different types of threats?

Performance, durability, security, and interoperability are all important aspects in selecting the right clinical communications system. Selecting the best, most cost-effective solution starts with assessing business goals and drivers, defining critical workflows and understanding the specific users and areas involved. Pinpointing care provider requirements will help to clarify what functionality is needed where. Also, having a clear plan of what a successful introduction should look like, along with a list of expected milestones and metrics to measure along the way, will ensure the business does not lose sight of objectives throughout the implementation process.

About the author: Bill Foster is director of healthcare business development at Spectralink, a leader in enterprise mobility solutions.