Patient and Provider Comfort and Concerns in Mobile Health Application Use in Healthcare

Early implementation of telehealth and mHealth technologies have illustrated the positive potential impact these technologies can have on the healthcare domain. Leveraging mobile device capabilities has the potential to facilitate patient engagement and improve provider-to-patient communication, thus improving patient outcomes. A cross-sectional study surveyed provider and patients to gauge mobile use regarding current mHealth activities as well as concerns and comfort of both parties when using this technology. Results revealed that age, income, type of insurance, and employment mediated either patient comfort and concerns; whereas provider role was the only factor mediating provider concerns. Patients had significantly higher levels of concern when compared to providers. These results can be leveraged to focus effort in implementing and developing telehealth and mHealth technologies.