Descriptive Information

It is January 28, 2019, and I intend to conduct an observational study at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. The primary objective of my research is to observe the impact of mobile technology and big data in transforming the patient experience. The time is 8: 30 in the morning and the clinic is already full of patients seeking medical attention. The hospital staff is trying to keep up with the number though they do not seem overburdened. They are relaxed and jovial. I wonder where they generate all that positive energy. I noticed that many of the nurses and other subordinate staffs carry smartphones, iPhones, or tablets in between their shifts. I am surprised by the extensive use of mobile technology in this hospice setting considering that some top executives of Mayo Clinic like Douglas Wood, Medical Director at Mayo Clinic’s Center for Innovation, are skeptic about applying mobile solutions to enhance the patient experience. Mr. Wood believes that this widespread adoption of big data to improve care efficiency will defeat the chances of caregivers developing mutual relationships with their patients in the future.

However, his critics believe otherwise. One of them is Dr. Steve Ommen, Medical Director of Mayo Clinic Connected Care, the hospital’s big data-powered healthcare information database. “Here in Rochester, we embrace online-driven health because it cognizes the patient experience, thus helping to recognize the patients’ needs and wants.” Dr. Ommen is taking me through the app, and it is truly mind-blowing. The app is built around servicing patients within and outside the clinic’s setting. Therefore, it offers a mobile-based health care experience built on accessibility and efficiency. Powering the app generates essential features, including a map of the facility and list of appointments. The former guides patients to the correct places they are supposed to be, while the former provides them with information concerning their assigned doctors, laboratory results. List of appointments also has an icon containing the doctor’s comments and recommendations. Besides, one needs a thumbprint to log into the application. Hence, it safeguards patient privacy and security. Moreover, a patient receives an alert via the app every time a lab outcome are posted in the database.

Reflective Information

I am trying to imagine the significance of using big data to solve recurring problems related to care provision. Why is the use of mobile applications essential in a contemporary care setting? As care delivery continues to become increasingly automated and digitized, it is necessary for health care providers to design internal and external communication systems that incorporate mobile health and big data. Storing patient information in a single database helps medical staff to obtain patient information essential in identifying treatment options. Thus, this reduces the time wasted by physicians to interview patients about their previous medications and health issues. Instead, they can obtain this data by viewing patient profile in the mobile health app. That said, I believe mobile access is key to improving the patient experience.

Moreover, integrating mobile technology into daily clinical operations helps health care providers to identify the patients’ medical needs and gaps present in care delivery. During this study, it has come to my realization that the information provided by the Mayo Clinic App, including patient records, physicians’ schedules, and results from lab tests are central to health care provision. Every patient is entitled to the above information. Therefore, hospitals should adopt easy-to-use mobile health options to provide state-of-the-art and updated patient familiarities that are inevitable.

 
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