Why Smartphones Matter in the Delivery of the Best Patient Care
It is certainly no secret that technology has taken over our lives. We know that there will be upcoming gadgets, updates, computers, Apps, etc, that will most certainly help us get through the days ahead with less turmoil. The rapidity of these changes are sometimes mind numbing. In my opinion, there is no profession that feels the benefit of new technology more than Medicine. Electronic medical records, although responsible for reported physician “burn out”, actually have played a huge role in improving patient care. This, in spite of perceived forced retirement of older physicians when medical practices and/or hospital systems add or change EMR systems.
Faster computers with improved search engines assist us in helping our patients. Patients are able to access information about helpful products such as diabetic socks, pressure and heat sensitive orthotics for diabetics. These are becoming popular because of advertisements and blogs on social media and through product searches.
I am told that Alphabet’s (Google parent company) life sciences arm has been looking for partners to co-develop shoes with sensors embedded to monitor the wearer’s movement and weight, as well as to measure falls. These shoes could have a wide range of health-related uses. For example, sudden weight gain can be a sign that the body is retaining fluid, which is a symptom of congestive heart failure. Also, fall detection could be useful for seniors in particular.
And the smart phone. Wow! Such rapid changes are truly mind boggling. From the too-large-to-fit-in-the-pocket phone to the flip phone and now the extremely hi-tech 5G smartphones. Amazing! One can access immediate online help checking drug interactions, correct drug dosages, side effects, etc. Searching for definition of disease states and possible complications of treatment is also important and very helpful during the day.
In the care of the acute critical diabetic foot, moving a patient quickly from specialist to specialist is a game changer. The cell phone has been my greatest tool in that process. NOT the APPS – the PHONE.
However, the use I find most helpful, especially in diabetic limb salvage, is the ability to call my colleagues who I feel can be helpful in patient care. Multiple times a day, I will see a patient in dire need of a consultant. For example, the patient with serious infection who requires the expertise of an infectious disease specialist, the patient with critical limb ischemia who requires urgent vascular intervention, etc. I learned quickly during my time involved in the outstanding Save a Leg, Save a Life Foundation, that moving a patient quickly from specialist to specialist is a game changer in patient care. Previously, I would give a patient a doctor’s name and contact information and ask them to call for an appointment. Many times the patient did not call or called and got an appointment in 2-3 weeks. Now, I simply call or text the provider on his/her cell phone and the patient receives an appointment either the same day or soon thereafter. Clearly, quicker intervention by the specialist improves the prognosis for recovery. What an amazing scenario!! That was unheard of a few years ago.
Sure, advances in technology can often be mind-numbing but in my practice it has been a gift for my patients.
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