How Mobile Devices in Healthcare Can Improve Pediatric Care Experience

No matter how small the reason, clinical visits can be frightening for children and parents alike. And the experience is common: Forty-five percent of children, on average, visit the emergency room each year.

It’s encouraging, then, that many healthcare organizations are increasingly adopting mobile technologies such as tablets and wearables to improve the pediatric care experience in ways both general and specific.

At Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, patients may check out Apple iPad devices for education and entertainment distractions. Separately, Fitbit activity trackers have been introduced as part of a clinical trial at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles to help families enhance a structured weight loss program in an inviting and manageable way.

These devices offer familiarity to tech-savvy youngsters and can alleviate the tension that clinical visits might cause. Even better, they allow providers to fully focus on patient care.