What are some of the challenges that have been found with mHealth? Fierce Mobile Health Care discussed five of the most pressing ones that were listed in a recent article at the Journal of Medical Internet Research. The reasons are:
- Privacy
- Data security
- Funding
- A lack of good examples of the efficacy and cost effectiveness of mHealth in practice
- The need for the more high-quality research
These are definitely concerns for a reason. As I’ve reviewed different mHealth apps and websites, I often find myself wondering about the privacy — is my information somehow being tracked? I especially have thought about this as I’ve started using a patient portal for my son’s health care. I don’t want anyone being able to view private information concerning my son. One would hope that before launching these services, potential data breaches have been prevented as much as possible. However, it is a risk that one takes when allowing their information (or, in my case, my son’s) to be put in a place that may be a victim of a data breach.
I think one of the biggest issues is that of keeping people involved. I mean, it’s easy to get excited about mHealth, but it’s also very easy to fall of that bandwagon. There needs to be away to keep patient engagement high . . . Though I’m not sure what that would be.
I don’t know much about the other issues cited, but as I read the journal entry and the article as well, I could definitely see why there is cause for concern. I just wonder what can be done — any suggestions? What do you feel are the biggest challenges mHealth faces?
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