Mobile Supported Patient Care: The Dichotomy of National and Local Needs

Abstract

Community health care seems to many governments to be an ideal arena for mobile technological support. Community health care professionals work within the community, visiting people within their own homes or at local health centres. Mobile technologies offer much potential to support these professionals in provision of patient and care information, access to other professionals and services, and overall improvement of patient care. However, there are several challenges to be met before the full bene?ts can be achieved. At a system level, community health care has many tensions, particularly between national direction and associated funding, and between local needs and practicalities. In addition, technology is not always used and applied as initially expected. This chapter explores some of these tensions by examining an example of community health care support in the South of England.