I‘m at the mHealth Summit outside of Washington D.C. learning about the emerging role that mobile technology is playing in healthcare delivery. The numbers are the ones we’ve heard over and over again – growing smartphone and tablet adoption, faster data plans and pervasive Wi-Fi.

Most of my focus relates to the ways in which consumers use mobile technology and the opportunities mobile provides for healthcare organizations to connect with consumers.

In contrast, much of the mHealth Summit discussion revolves around how clinicians and staff use mobile devices. A recent study from Manhattan Research indicates that large numbers of clinical professionals are using smartphones during patient consultations.

This BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) world presents an opportunity to change the way we communicate within our organizations, and yet very few healthcare organizations have a mobile-optimized intranet.

One of the challenges that regularly pops up in intranet discussions is one of access. Many of our hospital employees don’t sit in front of a computer most of the day. However, they do have smartphones in their pocket which would be an ideal way to deliver intranet communications.

There are a few steps to make this work. For starters, intranets need to be made accessible via mobile devices, the authentication process needs to be streamlined, and most importantly, intranets need to apply responsive design concepts to ensure they work smoothly on all devices.

These are little more than speed bumps on the road to new opportunities.

Watch our webinar to look more deeply at how to enhance communications with your employees and staff through your intranet.