Being Smart: Challenges in the Use of Mobile Applications in Clinical Settings

The use of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets is rapidly increasing in both social and work-based contexts. The development of software applications specifically designed for the medical workplace has led to an escalation in the use of these medical apps without any correlating development in governance or regulatory guidelines. This paper provides an introduction to issues relating to the use of mHealth in clinical practice. The pervasive use of medical apps in clinical settings, without guidelines for best practice use, has significant global implications for clinical care, professional practice and education of health care professionals. Although the use of medical apps on mobile devices provides obvious benefits, there are disadvantages as well as significant risks, which are explored in this paper. The rapidly expanding use of mHealth produces significant challenges regarding the education of health professionals. Curriculum content, together with teaching and learning approaches, need to be designed to engage students in the use of mobile devices in clinical settings and adequately equip them for their future professional practice. Guidelines providing certainty around the use of mobile devices and medical apps in clinical practice are necessary to inform best practices and ensure safety and quality in technology-linked patient care. It is imperative to scrutinise the use of mobile devices and medical apps in health care and develop a more considered and comprehensive approach.