title: Mobile Health in Solid Organ Transplant: The Time Is Now.
abstract: Despite being in existence for >40 years, the application of telemedicine has lagged significantly in comparison to its generated interest. Detractors include the immobile design of most historic telemedicine interventions and the relative lack of smartphones among the general populace. Recently, the exponential increase in smartphone ownership and familiarity have provided the potential for the development of mobile health (mHealth) interventions that can be mirrored realistically in clinical applications. Existing studies have demonstrated some potential clinical benefits of mHealth in the various phases of solid organ transplantation (SOT). Furthermore, studies in nontransplant chronic diseases may be used to guide future studies in SOT. Nevertheless, substantially more must be accomplished before mHealth becomes mainstream. Further evidence of clinical benefits and a critical need for cost-effectiveness analysis must prove its utility to patients, clinicians, hospitals, insurers, and the federal government. The SOT population is an ideal one in which to demonstrate the benefits of mHealth. In this review, the current evidence and status of mHealth in SOT is discussed, and a general path forward is presented that will allow buy-in from the health care community, insurers, and the federal government to move mHealth from research to standard care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy Services, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC.
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Fleming
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC.|Department of Pharmacy, Ralph H Johnson VAMC, Charleston, SC.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Taber
authors.affiliation: Center for Telehealth, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McElligott
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC.
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: McGillicuddy
authors.affiliation: Technology Center to Advance Healthful Lifestyles, College of Nursing, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Treiber
mesh_terms: D003153:Community Health Services / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D016377:Organ Transplantation; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: business/management; clinical research/practice; compliance/adherence; health services and outcomes research; informatics; organ transplantation in general; preventive healthcare; quality of care/care delivery; transitional care