Bringing mobility into clinical practice across the care continuum is an integral part of improving care, reducing readmissions and increasing patient engagement and satisfaction. From giving clinicians outside the hospital access to patient data so clinical decision making isn’t delayed, to addressing patient needs at home to avoid an emergency room or office visit, mobility offers the flexibility to meet today’s healthcare demands. For both the clinician and the patient, user experience is a critical factor that determines the success of a mobile strategy.

Right now, the focus of bringing care into the home is primarily for the elderly – those at high risk with chronic, post-op or other conditions.  We typically think that this population is not tech-savvy and will have difficulty with smartphones and tablets and a new way of interacting with their care team. We have found that this gap can be bridged, and our job as innovative mHealth solution providers is to make this change as easy and seamless as possible with intuitive and intriguing user interfaces that patients want to use.

A simple experience is vital. First, it is important to architect the solution so that no in-depth training is needed and the patient is simply guided to compliance with their care plan.  Multimedia education and videos help patients ease into the program without confusion or stress and show the patient what they need to monitor and how they can reach their doctor in a new way. Second, on the technical side, being device-agnostic enables programs to run on a variety of wireless personal health devices and tablets or smartphones. Third, by locking down the underlying infrastructure and customizing the device to offer the healthcare program exclusively, home monitoring becomes a simple and intuitive follow-along process. Providing patients with a pre-packaged kit with the mobile and wireless health devices creates an offering that streamlines the utilization process. In the end, by making the platform and user experience fit the patient’s clinical and personal needs, patients are able to engage with their own health in a more beneficial and satisfying way than ever before.

As those focused on the clinicians drive toward unified, one-stop interfaces that streamline all the data, those focused on patients keep it simple to gather what is necessary through intuitive processes. Successfully captivating both audiences ensures adoption and makes for a seamless flow of actionable data from clinician-to-patient and vice-versa to maximize the efficiency of care. Ultimately, by offering unique user experiences, we’re able to solve a complex problem by better involving everyone in the chain of care.

Eric Rock founded Vivify Health Inc. and serves as its President, Chief Executive Officer and Director.