The Journal of mHealth Vol 1 Issue 1 (Feb 2014) | Page 34

EPHA Briefing on Mobile Health
diseases

Continued from page 31

groups. In this context it will be
important to recall the importance
of ‘Health in all Policies’. mHealth
only makes sense if it is integrated
into overall health system policies
– it must not exacerbate workforce
shortages.
Practically speaking, it can help reduce paperwork and bureaucracy
in hospitals and health settings
while speeding up processes, reducing human mistakes (e.g. medication errors), increasing interdepartmental communication and
avoiding duplication of work. Remote access to centralised EHRs
can reduce administrative burdens
by 20 to 30%. More savings can be
gained through better patient compliance with treatments and drug
adherence, and better observance
of medical appointments. Interoperability, training and task division
are critical prerequisites.

POTENTIAL BENEFITS
AND DISADVANTAGES
Digitalisation in healthcare: support or hazard?
Many hail mHealth as a potential
panacea for the health system challenges described above. Projects
worldwide have resulted in the following positive observations [19]:
»

Increased access to healthcare
and health information, e.g., for
hard to reach populations

»

Increased efficiency and lower
cost of healthcare service delivery

»

Improved ability to prevent,
diagnose, treat, care and track

32
February 2014

»

Timely, more actionable public
health information

»

Expanded access to ongoing
health education and training
for health professio