Question 1

In the most recent study by the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics, approximately what percent of the healthcare apps tested included an ability to link the mobile device to a sensor or other healthcare device?

A) 10%
B) 30%
C) None, 0%
D) 50%

10%

Accepted Answer

The IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics study examined 26,864 healthcare apps for iOS and Android systems in 2015 and found that about 10% included such capacity; most of the others only provided information and little to no interactivity.

Question 2

According to the text, which example of the use of mHealth can be facilitated by SMS, the simplest core mobile phone function?&#10;A) Point-of-care diagnostics&#10;B) Treatment algorithms&#10;C) Connecting patients to providers&#10;D) Maintaining healthcare facility electronic records

Accepted Answer

SMS, a core mobile technology, can be used in many mHealth application domains, such as smoking cessation programs, real-time reporting, health surveys, and connecting patients to providers. The other choices all require greater functionality than simple text messaging.

Question 3

Point-of-care decision support tools contained within a mobile device all rely on:&#10;A) accurate algorithms and protocols.&#10;B) the presence of WiFi.&#10;C) some level of real-time link to a healthcare facility.&#10;D) user credentials.

Accepted Answer

Point-of-care decision support tools can be used in a wide variety of settings. Some may or may not need WiFi, or a real-time link. But all will need to be programmed with accurate algorithms and protocols in order to function effectively. User credentials is not a correct answer, as many such tools are designed for use by end consumers and not healthcare workers.

Question 4

Which is not a major driving force fueling the mHealth movement?&#10;A) An aging society&#10;B) Cost savings and earning potential&#10;C) Consumer/patient engagement movement&#10;D) Technology functionality

Accepted Answer

mHealth's expansion is being fueled by ever-improving tech functionality, the consumer/patient engagement movement, and the business side of cost savings and earning potential. An aging society, while perhaps needing more healthcare, is not a major part of the expansion.

Question 5

Which is most available throughout Africa?&#10;A) Grid-based electricity&#10;B) Piped clean water&#10;C) Mobile phone service&#10;D) Sewerage service

Accepted Answer

Mobile phone coverage is very widespread throughout Africa, with most countries at least 80% covered by phone service. In contrast, other infrastructure such as electricity, clean water, and sewerage are lagging behind. Mobile coverage's reach helps explain why it has become such a crucial technology for healthcare workers on the continent.

Question 6

Which statement is true?&#10;A) In the U.S., blacks and Hispanics are three times as likely as whites to rely on their cellphone for access to the internet.&#10;B) By 2014, 90% of Americans had smartphones.&#10;C) Only 37% of people worldwide have access to a cellphone.&#10;D) As of June 2015, a majority of all U.S. adults no longer had a land-line telephone.

Accepted Answer

In the U.S., 13% of Hispanics and 12% of African Americans rely on their cellphone for connection to the internet, three times as many as the 4% of whites who do. By 2014, 90% of Americans had cellphones, but not all were smartphones. Of people worldwide, 37% have a smartphone, but a much larger percent has at least a basic cellphone. And as of June 2015, 44.1% of all U.S. adults no longer had land-line telephones.

Question 7

The FDA has announced that it will require premarket approval for mHealth apps that:&#10;A) monitor and track blood pressure.&#10;B) act as ECG machines.&#10;C) transfer data to healthcare providers.&#10;D) generate health advice from patient-specific information.

Accepted Answer

A portable ECG machine is considered high-risk by the FDA and will require premarket approval. All of the other selections are considered lower risk, and the FDA will only exercise "regulatory discretion" over them.

Question 8

Current research shows the lowest quality, or most limited, evidence for the usefulness of mHealth in:&#10;A) supporting smoking cessation.&#10;B) adherence to childhood immunization schedules.&#10;C) managing asthma outcomes.&#10;D) adherence to retroviral therapy.

Accepted Answer

The evidence for mHealth continues to grow, and there is now high-quality, or at least moderate-quality, evidence for the effectiveness of mHealth in supporting smoking cessation and adhering to immunization and other medicinal schedules. Evidence is currently low for its usefulness in managing asthma.

Question 9

All of the following are among the three biggest mHealth challenges identified by experts in the U.S. except:&#10;A) people misinterpreting their own data.&#10;B) making poor health decisions.&#10;C) data privacy risks and legal risks.&#10;D) interoperability.

Accepted Answer

Interoperability is a noted challenge with mHealth apps and software, but it is not among the top three concerns of U.S. experts.

Question 10

The MARS mHealth app rating scale measures: (Select all that apply.)&#10;A) price.&#10;B) engagement.&#10;C) information.&#10;D) aesthetics.&#10;E) YPD (years-of-productive-life) added.

Accepted Answer

The Institute for Healthcare Informatics's MARS scale rates mHealth apps on engagement, functionality, aesthetics, information, and subjective quality. Price is not a direct consideration (though willingness to pay does contribute indirectly to subjective quality), and YPD is not something that MARS measures.

Deck 15: Mhealththe Intersection of Mobile Technology and Health