In a world of constant technological advances, it is important that healthcare professionals make use of technology to
support patients and provide health care to ensure an optimal quality of life. Mobile health (mHealth) uses mobile
technologies to assist healthcare professionals in providing efficient and adequate patient care. Mobile applications
play an important role in mHealth, as they allow users to access information quickly, at the touch of a finger. This report
discusses how mHealth assists pharmacists in providing patients with the best care possible.
Through the use of mobile applications, pharmacists can stay up to date with disease state guidelines, maintain
adequate pharmacy stock inventories, access drug information systems, review patient health information and use tools
to calculate individual drug doses and to accurately convert between units of measurement. Mobile devices may also
assist pharmacists by converting smart phones into point-of-care diagnostic tools, such as otoscopes or blood pressure
monitors. Mobile applications can also help patients manage disease states, improving their medication adherence, and
logging important health history. mHealth mobile applications have the ability to support pharmacy practice, as well as
patients’ lives.
Although mHealth is constantly advancing in global health care, patient confidentiality risks, variable IT literacy and
internet access requirements are barriers that stand between patients/healthcare providers and the ability to fully take
advantage of mHealth technologies. The goal of mHealth in the field of pharmacy should be to support and assist
individuals in providing safe, effective and efficient patient-centred care.
