Physicians' Top Tips for Remote Patient Care

Family physician Linda Girgis, who is on the advisory board for physician social networking site SERMO, recently told Physicians Practice that she believes physician use of technology to care for remote patients (mHealth) will pick up traction quickly.More and more physicians on SERMO, Girgis said, are beginning to participate in discussions about mHealth, ask questions, and share ideas."There's definitely many more posts, talking about all of these telemedicine, virtual visits, other wearable apps so doctors are really picking up on it," she said. "We're talking about it more and it's something that more are going to be incorporating into their practice."Still, despite growing interest, it's clear that many physicians are hesitant to begin incorporating mHealth into patient care. According to Physicians Practice's 2015 Technology Survey only 9 percent of the more than 1,100 respondents said they use technology that monitor aspects of their patient's health status remotely, and only 12 percent said the use e-visits. (Full results of the survey will be released in June 2015; view 2014 results here.)Recently, several SERMO physicians shared tips regarding how physicians can get more involved in mHealth. Here are 10 of our favorites.To view the slides in PDF format, click here.