The healthcare industry is one of the most mobile industries: nurses shuffling between patients, doctors attending to OPD and in-house patients as well as at their own clinics, supporting staff and technicians shuttling between pathology, imaging and diagnostic laboratories and so on. Of course, the training methodology required in such a situation should be mobile too.
Here we explore a couple of ways how mobile devices can fit into the dynamic lives of healthcare professionals:
Assisting doctors at work
There is a whole world of mobile apps out there– Epocrates, Doximity, Skyscape Medical Resources, Psych Drugs, Medical Calculator, etc. These apps cater to a variety of subjects such as mental and psychological health, drug prescription and safety as well as potential drug interactions, decision support tool for physicians, nurses, students, medical calculators and scoring tools, HIPAA-secure communication tools, etc. Not only do these apps allow healthcare professionals to be more confident about the decisions they take, they also enable them to work faster.
Virtual learning for beginners
The healthcare industry requires high precision and accuracy where mobile technologies can bridge the gap between theoretical training and hands-on practicing. Mobile devices such as virtual stethoscopes and microscopes can be used to mimic medical conditions. Interactive apps that can allow learners to view, enlarge and interact with body systems or see animated 3-D projections of biological molecules presented on a mobile or smartphone screen can be effective media to cater to the learning needs of this techno-savvy generation of healthcare professionals.
Extensive video libraries
Advanced point-of view devices such as the Google Glass allows surgeons to record surgical procedures for future reference. These videos can be compiled to form an immensely great source of shared learning among practicing doctors who can access these videos on high end mobile devices such as iPads when the need be. Glass-based recordings can also provide teaching tools for resident students and a means of compiling best practices for procedures.
Though the importance of formal instructor-led training cannot be denied in the healthcare sector, keeping in mind the high level expertise that is required, however, for on-the-go learning and performance support, mobile learning has opened up interesting avenues of training that can complement the everyday roles of healthcare professionals.
What do you think?
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