The pediatrician-author-mom Perri Klass wrote a piece in this week’s Well column that will bring knowing smiles to many providers and parents reading this post. She writes about how many unofficial telemedicine consults she fields involving photos of various rashes, injuries and other physical findings taken by parents and/or teens with their mobile devices.
She uses these stories–we all probably have had a few images like this on our own phones–as an example of the value of mobile health in helping children and adolescents access health care services.
Some research shows that adolescents are open to at least certain aspects of medical care delivered by phone, and a variety of efforts are underway to incorporate texting into health and mental health services for adolescents, to extend the reach of counseling services, and even to provide help to teenagers in crisis.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has released a policy statement relevant to this: The Use of Telemedicine to Address Access and Physician Workforce Shortages. What are your favorite uses of mobile devices in accessing or pr
oviding health advice and healthcare?
Marion R. Sills, MD, MPH 