Knowledge management is still awaiting the mobile revolution, but why?

“Like it or not, healthcare employees are using their mobile devices for work, even if you have no facility-wide solution in place.”

Mobile sales apps. Bring Your Own Device. Cloud-based software. Some medical facilities are finally wising up in adding mobile solutions to the daily workflow, but we’re still seemingly light-years away from a full-blown mobile revolution.

Considering the massive benefits of mobile knowledge management in healthcare, it’s worth speculating why. 

The Argument for Mobile Knowledge Management in Healthcare

Knowledge management is all about getting information to the right person when they need it. For many healthcare providers, this may take the form of CRM, EHR, EMR, or similar tool.

Given the upward-trending remote work for medical professionals, it’s only logical to provide mobile knowledge management solutions. These tools boost response time, thus increasing productivity and weeding out downtime. It offers collaboration, communication, and engagement regardless of where your employees are.

Yet these benefits are only part of a much more complex puzzle, and the rest of the pieces could indicate why going mobile in healthcare hasn’t happened yet.

Stalling the Mobile Knowledge Management Transformation

Knowledge management isn’t just about simplifying information exchange. To be successful, knowledge sharing must be strategized, cultured, and organized to help you meet your goals, which get complicated with the mobility factor: 

Lack of Vision or Strategy

With every change comes a learning curve, and this one might seem too steep to be worth it for some. Medical workers move at lightning speed rates, giving them little time to strategize, visualize, and adapt to large-scale changes like going mobile. Some providers may not understand what they want from mobile KM, what it can do for them, how they can manage it, rules and best practices about mobile KM, and potential repercussions from mobile device use (ie privacy violations, etc). 

Compatibility Across Devices

If employees are joining the bring-your-own-device camp, you’re faced with a multitude of devices and operating systems for tailoring your KM solution. Device manufacturers are continually updating their OS, which means you risk compatibility issues after a single update if you’re aren’t constantly pouring in resources to keep your app relevant. 

The Future of Mobile Knowledge Management for Medical Professionals

Healthcare employees are using their mobile devices for work, even if you have no facility-wide solution in place. In fact, it’s estimated that half of employers will mandate a BYOD by 2017. This could be dangerous, as employees bent on working via mobile are forced to seek out their own ways to obtain information, which could leave critical patient data vulnerable. 

The good news is you don’t have to wait for the mobile revolution to move toward a mobile knowledge management system. Healthcare is likely heading there anyway, so consider starting early to enjoy the benefits longer.

Take a free test drive of Panviva’s Knowledge Management solution today.

Steve Pappas