From healthcare professional to system developer: emerging trends in mobile technology development

Previous attempts to involve doctors and nurses with HealthCare organisation Information Technology initiatives have often proved futile. Often this has been because HeallhCare Professionals do not perceive any direct benefit for them at the point of care. Traditional, static implementations of Clinical Information Systems have been driven by Hospital Administration in an attempt to reduce costs. Mobile clinical applications on the other hand have been driven by the early adopters, the HealthCare Professionals themselves in an attempt to streamline their own individual work practices. Not only are they researching and purchasing the Mobile clinical applications, several have begun developing the applications themselves. This paper explores the emerging trend of HealthCare Professionals developing mobile applications themselves and harnessing their profession to market these applications. Using Diffusion of Innovation Theory (DOl) the trend is analysed to see how this diffusion differs from the earlier attempts to implement static Clinical Information Systems and explores further research in the use of mobile applications by HealthCare Professionals.