Healthcare Organization Mobile Device Use: Check That Pager

By Clive Riddle, June 15, 2018

The list of benefits derived from mobile device use by clinicians and staff at healthcare organizations is a long one. But the challenges exacted comprise a worrisome list topped by privacy and cybersecurity concerns. Organizations who promote or allow BYOD (Bring your own device) of course have significantly enhanced concerns.

So in this context its worthwhile to take a gander at the eighth annual Spok survey report: Mobile Strategies in Healthcare Results Revealed. The good news is that 57% of healthcare organizations surveyed have developed a documented mobile device strategy. The bad news is 43% have not.

They respondents say these are the challenges they are facing

• Wifi coverage – 51%
• Cellular coverage – 40%
• Data security – 34%
• Compliance with BYOD policies – 34%
• IT support – 29%
• Mobile adoption rates – 28%

For those with a strategy, here’s the top seven components included:

1. Mobile management and security - 56%
2. Mobile device selection - 51%
3. Integration with the EHR - 48%
4. Infrastructure assessment (wireless and mobile) - 45%
5. Clinical workflow evaluation - 43%
6. Device ownership strategy (such as BYOD) - 34%
7. Mobile app strategy (in-house, third-party, hybrid) - 29%

How well are these policies enforced? 39% said extremely well, 33% said well. 24% weren’t sure and an honest 4% said poorly. With respect to validating compliance, 48% use education, 42% gather data from the devices, 37% seek feedback from the end user, 23% take surveys, and an honest 21% said they aren’t doing any validation.

With respect to devices they organization supports, 74% said smart phones, 69% wifi phones, 56% onsite pagers, 54% tablets, 45% wide area pagers, 22% encrypted pagers, 12% voice badges and 6% wearables.  

Perhaps the biggest surprise I found in the report was this passage: “Pagers are still a mainstay in healthcare. Despite the growth of other communication tools, they remain at a relatively high level of use as other mobile devices complement them (without necessarily replacing them altogether). In fact, onsite pagers are the most popular communication option for non-clinical care team members such as housekeepers, transport techs, and phlebotomists.” For non-clinical staff 54% listed some type of pager as their primary communication device (onsite 40%, wide area 10% or encrypted 4%/) Wifi phones came in at 15% and smartphones at 14%.