“Tech-savvy physicians, especially recent graduates, increasingly rely on digital and Internet-based tools to communicate with patients and improve the medical outcomes of the care they provide.” -- Sandra Garrett, president of Jackson & Coker.
Alpharetta, GA (PRWEB) October 03, 2011
With higher disposal incomes and a penchant to be early adopters of the latest digital technology, four out of five practicing physicians use smartphones, computer tablets, various mobile devices and numerous apps in their customary medical practice, according to a special report in the current Jackson & Coker Industry Report.
“Tech-savvy physicians, especially recent graduates, increasingly rely on digital and Internet-based tools to communicate with patients and improve the medical outcomes of the care they provide,” mentioned Sandra Garrett, president of Jackson & Coker.
The report, entitled “Apps, Doctors and Digital Devices,” presented the results of several recent studies that investigated the use of smartphones, mobile computing devices and a wide variety of software apps by physicians in different specialties. Here is the study’s breakdown of physician specialists’ usage of digital technology in medical practice:
Emergency Room physicians -- 40%
Cardiologists-- 33%
Urologists – 31%
Nephrologists – 31%
Dermatologists – 30%
Gastroenterologists – 30%
Psychiatrists – 28%
Radiologists—24%
Rheumatologists—22%
Endocrinologists—21%
Oncologists—20%
Clinical Pathologists—16%.
The special report cited recent studies that pointed out the practical value of integrating the latest digital hardware and software into health care delivery. It’s not surprising that so many practitioners are relying on iPhones, iPads and other computer tablets--as well as downloading a myriad of apps--given the growing movement toward “digitizing as much of the health care process as possible,” according to the report.
As fully “wired” doctors have discovered, there is an “app” (software solution) for practically everything—such as providing fingertip access to a patient’s essential medical information: his or her disease management program, prescription history, radiologic imaging studies, laboratory test results, and the like. In time, doctors may spend as much time handling medical issues electronically as they do treating patients with stethoscope in hand.
The report also addressed security and privacy concerns associated with honoring HITECh and HIPAA protocols. As a crucial preventative measure, some hospitals require medical staff to limit software use to read-only access to patient information while prohibiting storing such information.
As digital devices put more critical information in the hands of physicians, “the potential applications are virtually limitless,” the report concluded.
The special report can be accessed at http://www.jacksoncoker.com/physician-career-resources/newsletters/monthlymain/des/Apps.aspx.
About Jackson & Coker
Jackson & Coker (http://www.jacksoncoker.com) believes that all hospitals, clinics, physician practices, and patients should have access to a physician whether for a day, a lifetime, or any of life’s changes in between. For over three decades, Jackson & Coker has been uniting physicians and hospitals to ensure that all patients’ needs are met by providing physicians for as little as a day and as long as a lifetime. The firm specializes in doctor opportunities for physicians at any stage of their professional career.
Headquartered in metro Atlanta, the physician recruitment firm has earned a reputation for placing exceptionally qualified candidates in commercial and government practice opportunities. Recruiters work in two divisions of the company: Permanent Placement, which places providers in over 40 medical specialties in permanent placement jobs, and locum tenens, a staffing model that recruits medical providers (physicians and CRNAs) for temporary vacancies.
The company has earned a “Gold Seal” designation as a “Certified Health Care Staffing Service” by the Joint Commission and is affiliated with a credentials verification organization (JH CVO) that has been certified by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA.) Furthermore, Jackson & Coker is ranked by Staffing Industry Analysts in its size category as the #5 “Best Staffing Firms to Work For.”
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