Survey of mobile device and Medical App use in emergency care

Abstract

The use of mobile devices (smartphones and tablets) and apps is widespread in the general population. The use of these devices allows on-the-go access to information ranging from internet, apps and email like never before. The use of this technology as part of patient care is common among junior medical staff in the UK. In healthcare the use of mobile devices and medical apps has been shown to be a positive development in improving patient care. This revolution started with the release of Apple’s iPhone in 2007 signalling the birth of the smartphone. The next pivotal step was the launch of the Apple Appstore in 2008. This allowed users to download specific software applications “apps” from an online shop and other companies soon followed with their own offerings. Currently little is known how this advance in technology is applied to emergency care. The aim of this work was to investigate the current role of mobile device and medical apps in emergency care in English and German speaking countries in Europe and to provide an overview of how departments and individual clinicians engage with this technology as part of their daily work.