Title: Mobile healthcare initiatives for improving outpatient adherence: opportunities and barriers

Authors: Mihail Cocosila, Norm Archer

Addresses: McMaster University, DeGroote School of Business, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4M4, Canada. ' McMaster University, DeGroote School of Business, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4M4, Canada

Abstract: This work is an investigation of the human and system opportunities and barriers in mobile healthcare, followed by a cost/benefit analysis for outpatient mobile healthcare solutions that could improve adherence to medication and a healthy lifestyle. The work begins by defining the outpatient adherence problem and how mobile solutions could help. It then discusses the driving and resistant forces among the main stakeholders: patients, healthcare professionals, healthcare institutions and government. Next, it compares the savings generated by increased adherence and the costs to implement mobile initiatives to combat non-adherence. The possible use of mobile healthcare solutions to address outpatient non-adherence, although beneficial, also creates concerns of varying degrees for all the major stakeholders. These issues must be addressed before implementation in order to maximise the chances of success.

Keywords: outpatient adherence; information technology; mobile healthcare; m-healthcare; business case; outpatients; medication; healthy lifestyle; mobile communications; wireless technology; electronic healthcare; e-healthcare.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEB.2005.008534

International Journal of Electronic Business, 2005 Vol.3 No.6, pp.512 - 533

Published online: 28 Dec 2005 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article