mHealth technology and healthcare practice: moving beyond ‘appathy’

Mhealth (mobile health) is the practice of medicine, public health and allied healthcare or self-care supported by mobile devices (e.g. smartphones, tablet computers, wearable activity monitors). The use of smartphones has risen exponentially globally and shows no sign of abating. The development of these and other novel technologies provide a unique opportunity to track real-time, continuous, accurate and objective measures of health indices and related behaviour, and provide a powerful platform for delivering behavioural interventions.

Dr. Walsh will present data from studies that have synthesised behaviour change strategies with these new technologies, targeting a variety of health behaviours. There is emerging evidence that well-designed Mhealth interventions can effectively change patient health-related behaviour, improve patient knowledge and support for active involvement in self-management and lifestyle change leading to better health outcomes.

Mhealth interventions have the potential to overcome several barriers to behaviour change, as well as provide flexibility and opportunity to participants to engage with the educational content of an intervention within a relevant context. Mhealth research affords a real opportunity to study, understand, and positively affect human behaviour. This talk will also reflect on the challenges faced by society in the area of data security and patient safety with the use of these new digital technologies, as well as highlight the opportunities for novel research in this area.

This seminar is one of a series of seminars in the 2016 Whitaker Ideas Forum.  Dr Walsh will be representing the Health and Well-Being Research Cluster.