Doctors Use of Mobile Devices in the US and EU

New Study Compares Doctors Use of Mobile Devices in the US and EU Between 2010 and 2012

EPG Health Media (Europe) Ltd has released a follow-up to its 2010 comparative study of doctors use smartphones and tablet PCs in Europe and the US.

Tunbridge Wells, United Kingdom, December 17, 2012 --(PR.com)-- A new research study by EPG Health Media highlights developments in the views, preferences and attitudes of healthcare professionals (HCPs) towards mobile device use in clinical practice. The report compares the responses of HCPs in the US to those in the European "Big 5" countries (UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain) in 2010 and 2012 to demonstrate changes in and between the two geographic regions.

Launched at eyeforpharma’s Mobile and Multichannel conference in London November 2012, the free access report provides data to support ongoing industry discussions concerning the funding, development and use of mobile devices and their application by doctors within professional practice.



Confirming projected growth in the adoption of smartphones and tablet PCs in both Europe and the US, the study found that smartphone ownership in Europe increased from 44% in 2010 to 81% in 2012, and in the US from 81% to 91%. Meanwhile, tablet PC adoption rates increased more than that of smartphone between 2010 and 2012, from 12% to 47% in Europe and 10% to 65% in the US.

Asking doctors what they used their smartphones for and how frequently, the study found that 74% of EU and 65% of US respondents use their smartphones to communicate with patients in some way. The percentage of HCPs who stated that their smartphones help them to prescribe fell slightly in the US from 62% in 2010 to 56% in 2012, and increased in Europe from 28% in 2010 to 41% in 2012.

While the majority of HCPs in both Europe and US agree that their smartphones help them to practice more effectively, in Europe the figure has dropped from 70% in 2010 to 56% in 2012. This may suggest that although smartphone adoption has increased, its application in practice has not progressed meaningfully in the same timeframe. The study provides other indications that this is something that industry must consider and address.

“We hope that this latest study will support organisations involved in funding, developing and providing mobile accessed resources for HCPs.” said Chris Cooper, MD at EPG Health Media. “While much already exists, it would seem that issues of demand, access and credibility are not being addressed effectively or meeting their potential to support doctors and ultimately their patients.”

The report, entitled "Healthcare Professional Use of Mobile Devices: A comparative study between Europe and US in 2010 and 2012" is based on the responses of 360 HCPs to 32 questions. It is free to download at www.epghealthmedia.com/industry-reports/mobile2012 along with other industry reports by EPG Health Media.

EPG Health Media (Europe) Ltd, based Tunbridge Wells UK, is an independent publisher and aggregator of online medical information. Its professional channel www.epgonline.org provides HCPs with free access to 110,000 pages of medical content organised around 50 disease topics. Through this website, EPG provides industry with targeted access to over 350,000 HCPs in Europe.