As the communication needs provider of more than 250 corporations, governments and not-for-profit organizations around the world, Ruder Finn is one of the world’s largest independent public relations agencies. Organized into four areas of expertise – Health & Wellness, Corporate & Public Trust, Technology & Innovation, and Consumer Connections – it offers corporate reputation and media counsel, executive thought leadership, financial communications, employee engagement and telecommunications, and crisis and issue management.
Today, it announced the launch of a worldwide Global Health IT Specialty offering, and the result of a survey on how U.S. consumers use mobile devices to manage their health.
The new Global Health IT Specialty service will give customers access to expertise in emerging technologies to improve healthcare. The healthcare industry, just like any other enterprise around the world, is trying to find the best solution to integrate technology to improve their services for their customers while saving costs.
This is especially critical in the healthcare industry, where costs are spiraling out of control making services out of reach for the average person.
"Healthcare companies are seeking to improve communications, data sharing and patient engagement to achieve improved outcomes. As the use of emerging technologies increases, particularly smart phones, it is more important than ever for healthcare providers and health IT vendors to reach patients beyond the point of care to drive engagement and ultimately ensure optimal health," said Kathy Bloomgarden , CEO at Ruder Finn.
Ruder Finn brings extensive experience in the health technology industry with healthcare delivery systems, patient relationship management, consumer health apps and mobile health. The company also released a survey it commissioned with ORC International, regarding consumer use of mobile devices to manage health in the United States.
The survey also revealed how technology platforms for healthcare services with mobile apps and other devices can be designed to help meet the needs of the consumer in the future.
Findings from the survey include:
- mHealth technology is more likely to be used in 59 percent of households with children over the next six months, as opposed to 42 percent without children
- 53 percent of respondents with chronic conditions are likely to use mobile health technology
- mHealth is likely to see a surge, as 48 percent stated they would use it within the next six months – three times more than the current 16 percent
- Currently, the health mobile app market is focused on lifestyle, with the top three apps currently used being healthy eating apps at 49 percent, fitness and or training at 48 percent, and calorie counting apps at 48 percent.
"The results of our survey indicate that mobile health is poised for exponential growth—currently only 16 percent of respondents use health apps, however that number is expected to triple in the next six months. Our survey aims to provide perspectives for health organizations on how the mobile health landscape is evolving and what features are critical to consumer adoption at this stage in the mobile health evolution," said Jen Long , senior vice president and director of Technology & Innovation, Ruder Finn.
Edited by
Braden Becker
