09/21/2015
Get Smart About Smartphones................................................
WHICH PHONE? SEVEN FACTORS TO CONSIDER. Physicians should go through seven steps when selecting a smartphone, according to mHealth Initiative , a group that advocates for greater and better use of smartphones in health care:
1. Decide whether you want to use your mobile phone as an expanded communication device or if you just want to make and receive telephone calls. If the latter, consider a simple cell phone.
2. Find out which smartphones will integrate with your local hospital or other providers.
3. Local connectivity: Which carrier is best in your area?
4. Do you have mobile phone service with another company, and would that contract be expensive to break? If so, and you don’t mind carrying around a second mo¬bile device, consider an iTouch, which can access the Internet if a WiFi network is present but cannot make phone calls.
5. If you already use a mobile device in your practice, are the apps that you are accustomed to using compatible with the new smartphone that you are considering?
6. Which apps might you use and are they available for the smartphone you have in mind?
7. How important are lifestyle features such as a camera, GPS, listening to music, a calendar and a task manager?
And remember: Mobile computing is changing so quickly that your smartphone will be outdated in a year or two. So you’ll have another chance to get it right.
