The Journal of mHealth Vol 3 Issue 5 (Oct/Nov) | Page 2

Editor's Comments Welcome Achieving better outcomes in the healthcare industry begins with effective coordination of services. Allowing the different elements of the health and social care system to work seamlessly together is the ultimate goal for healthcare providers, and yet, achieving this coordination, at scale, has traditionally proven elusive. Whilst certain elements of the system come together to share information and organise care, there are often major gaps in communication and the transfer of information between departments and stakeholders, which can result in the inadequate provision of services and the inefficient use of resources. Most importantly though, it leads to poor patient experiences! Technology has an extremely important role to play, and using digital applications to coordinate care offers many opportunities for the healthcare industry. Successfully integrating digital into existing workflows and services can be challenging, but done correctly, the results can be significant. Improvements to patient care, reduction in costs, better communication and cooperation between staff and different providers, these are all achievable benefits. SUPPORTING LONG-TERM CONDITION MANAGEMENT… …TO DRIVE BETTER HEALTH OUTCOMES Over recent years there has been a significant shift in attitudes relating to the use of digital tools for these types of tasks. This has led to greater acceptance by health organisations and more deployments. There are now countless examples where these technologies are already in use and having a significant impact on the health systems that have implemented them. In many cases the challenge remains delivering these in an integrated and scalable way, and there are significant disparities between different regions around the world. However, irrespective of these issues, in my opinion, things are definitely beginning to move in the right direction. In this issue we include a range of articles that discuss some of the different roles digital solutions are having within the care coordination equation. Larry Roshfeld, US General Manager, for care pathway software specialist Lumeon, considers ‘How Care Pathway Management Can Connect Operational and Care Processes’; Mike Kobneck, of EMS Relay, analyses the case for ‘Navigating the Pre-hospital to Emergency Room Transition with Data Sharing; and, Fonda Narke, Vice President of Product Strategy for West Corporation Healthcare Practice, discusses how to ‘Automate Patient Discharge Communications to Reduce Readmissions’. Also in this issue: British doctor, policymaker, academic and entrepreneur Dr Mahiben Maruthappu writes about ‘Applying Technology to Improve Care’; an original paper discussing ‘Video-Delivered Behavioral Modeling for Patient SelfCare Recovery’; and, results from a pilot study titled, ‘A Mobile Phone Application for NHS Staff to Communicate Ward-Based Inefficiencies to Managers’. Matthew Driver Published by Simedics Limited www.simedics.org Editor: Matthew Driver Design: Jennifer Edwards For editorial, research and paper submissions, and advertising opportunities please contact: Matthew Driver [email protected] [phone] Subscribe at www.thejournalofmhealth.com The editor welcomes contributions for The Journal of mHealth. Submissions can be sent to the editor by email, images and graphics should be submitted in high resolution format. The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily shared by the editors nor publishers. Although the highest level of care has been taken to ensure accuracy the publishers do not accept any liability for omissions or errors or claims made by contributors or advertisers, neither do we accept liability for damage or loss of unsolicited contributions. The publishers exercise the right to alter and edit any material supplied. This publication is protected by copyright and may not be reproduced in part or in full without specific written permission of the publishers. ISSN 2055-270X © 2016 Simedics Limited Editor [email protected] excointouch.com/health The Journal of mHealth 1