Health Care IT Will Need to Support Diverse Mobile Devices

The health care industry will need its IT specialists to support multiple platforms of mobile computing despite the apparent popularity of specific devices such as Apple's iPad, according to a new report by research firm Frost & Sullivan.

The white paper "Mobile Devices and Healthcare: What's New, What Fits and How Do You Decide?" details how the health care industry must move away from established computer platforms for health care applications and support all types of mobile devices, including smartphones, tablets, push-to-talk products and M2M (machine-to-machine) remote-monitoring devices. "Today, it really is unreasonable to expect a completely homogenous environment in which one type of device is universally accepted by all medical staff," said Jeanine Sterling, a senior industry analyst for Frost & Sullivan. "Different types of workers have different communication needs." In fact, many doctors prefer to use their own devices in hospitals, Sterling noted. Health care organizations turn to mobile devices to help manage their workflow to control costs, improve efficiency and comply with government and industry regulations, according to Sterling.