A new study is calling the UK's National Health System to task for not keeping up with the mHealth needs of its constituents.
According to London-based Integrated Change, mobile traffic to more than 900 NHS websites has increased by 118 percent over the past year – an undeniable indicator that more and more Britons are using smartphones and other mobile devices to access healthcare data. However, the survey found that only 43 percent of those NHS websites are optimized for mobile access. In addition, only 15 percent of the more than 460 NHS trusts are using branded apps.
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"The real shame here is that this means some of what is genuinely exceptional content is decreasing in terms of value to users," the firm reported in a white paper tied to the study. "The NHS has invested heavily in ensuring it provides some online resources that are arguably second to none. Ninety percent of online adults have used the Internet to seek out healthcare information and with so much misinformation about health online, the provision of accurate content from the NHS is critically important."
As part of the study, researchers interviewed 100 private orthopedic patients and found that almost half of them would use a mobile device, if available, to schedule and check appointments.
"A mobile site or resource that offers NHS patients the ability to use the device in their pocket whenever or wherever they are, to see information about their appointments, send information to their provider and make/amend appointments could represent a huge administrative efficiency for the NHS as well as additional convenience for patients," the researchers pointed out.
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While calling out the NHS for its mHealth inefficiencies – in a nation where, they said, smartphone penetration has been higher than in this U.S. since 2012 – researchers noted that the country's national health system isn't the only laggard. As of last year, the report noted, a hefty 36 percent of the UK's biggest companies haven't optimized their websites for mobile users.
"As more and more of our web usage takes place on these relatively small screens, we’re likely to see more frustration from users who simply expect to be able to access content on their mobile with the same ease of use as if they were on a desktop device," the study concluded.
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