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Tips for a Successful Mobile Strategy​

A successful mobile initiative requires a comprehensive strategy that unites IT and clinical teams, ensuring all departments are aligned from the beginning. With first-hand knowledge helping many healthcare organizations and hospitals build and rollout successful mobile device initiatives, we have compiled tips for selecting the right devices and applications to balancing the user experience with robust security measures. ​

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Explore insights and best practices below to elevate your mobile device strategy.​  

Physician using phone
Technology Pattern

7

Best Practices

Technology Pattern

6

Managing Updates

Technology Pattern

5

Mobile Device Access Solutions

Technology Pattern

4

Balancing Security & Ease of Access

Technology Pattern

3

Selection of Devices

Technology Pattern

2

Endpoint Device Management

Technology Pattern

1

Aligning Clinical and IT Staff

1: Is your clinical and IT team aligned?

A successful mobile device rollout depends on a solid technology and device strategy, coupled with a clinical strategy resulting in a positive user experience with successful user adoption. ​

What vendor partners have the most experience and can help roll out a successful program?

  • Devices selection, user training, user adoption, integrations? ​

What EHR compatibility considerations are there?​

  • EHR will be discussed for almost every phase of the project

What are the optimal rollout plans and timing?

Budget requirements for both IT and clinical teams

  • Devices and software​

Before you select mobile devices, account for all device software, support procedures, and ongoing device management protocols for compatibility and logistics both inside and outside your facilities.

Evaluate a solution to manage mobile devices:

Remote management capabilities to access devices from any location​

OS compatibly evaluation so you have flexibility when selecting devices​

Provisioning of devices should be streamlined and integrated with access controls​

Controlled access to every device, providing governance and mitigating risk, especially with shared devices​

Consistent look and feel with applications and icons including locations and settings, so your team has a consistent experience with each mobile device​

Support for remote workforce and field locations with batch provisioning, updates, and IT-free healing for any device in any location​

Easy to create and maintain integrations with other systems​

Tracking capabilities when devices disappear, get lost or stolen​

2: Endpoint device management

What features does each team require?

Visibility and tracking ​of device fleet​

Support from ​anywhere, at any time​

Device and application ​security​

Simple deployment ​and management​

IT and mobile teams

Minimal burden from ​device management​

Easy access to tool ​and applications​

Consistent workflows & ​device experience​

Clinical teams

There is an important balance between security and convenience when planning out your mobile strategy. ​

Shared mobile devices can be used to access PHI, so they require robust security measures. ​

Clinicians need the devices to be easy to use with quick access to applications, limiting impact to important clinical workflows. ​

Features that might be important to your organization:

Allow users to seamlessly access the device and applications simultaneously ​

  • Single Sign On/Tap & Go: Provide access to tools and applications for clinical use with simple tap of a badge for an optimal workflow keeping providers focused on their patients​

Secure device storage​

Eliminate manual password authentication which can lead to poor user adoption and security breaches with written usernames and passwords.

Fast user provisioning​

Device tracking and loss prevention

4: Balancing security & ease of access

Considerations when selecting a solution:

Fleet management capabilities​

Tracking of devices that have not been returned​

Auto-fill password or password ease of use features​

Allows for multiple users sharing and/or, check in and check out of a single device​

Works with your EHR​

Selecting the right solution for managing mobile access will be EHR specific. ​

  • Understand the EHR environment and requirements first​

  • Consider EHR release cycles and updates for roll-out and compatibility​

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Tips from your peers

Lessons learned from hospitals recently implementing mobile strategies:

  • Choose devices and applications that work with your workflows​

  • Create an internal communication strategy to update users and team members on: ​

  • Rollout plan and timing​

  • Training schedule ​

  • Improvements to workflows​

  • If your EHR requires a browser set up (mobile EHR), work with a device vendor that has expertise and can configure the devices in advance to streamline your rollout.

5: Device access solution

EHR Mobile Grpahic

Push updates in a controlled manner, ensuring consistency for all end users​

Identify difference between platforms (iOS & Android)​

Software & OS updates: Roll out updates in a sandbox and test first before deploying to users​

6: Managing updates: testing & sandbox are keys to success

Make sure vendor/partner has done this with other sites & has expertise with your EHR​

Assign and train power users​

Have a good partner vs. standard purchasing agent​

Know your strategy up front ​

  • Align IT and clinical​

  • Plan early ​

  • Plan now for initial rollout and later phases​

7: Best practices

Ready to work with us?

Schedule a complimentary mobile device strategy session. Speak with our experts to explore tailoring your strategy for single sign-on, mobile device management, user authentication, and more. Book your session by letting us know what you're interested in learning about below.

State / Region

What are your clinical workflows?

Do you allow BYOD?​

Do you have patient mobile device programs?​

Nurses may have workflows requiring point-of-care features ​

Providers may use tablets or mobile phones

Generic phone lineup

There are many types of mobile devices used for clinical applications and workflows. It’s important to understand the needs of all the clinical teams and how the devices will be used.

Checklist for things to consider:

Review pros/cons of each device with a vendor partner who has mobile device expertise and understanding of clinical workflows and application integrations​

Integration with other applications​

  • SSO, MFA, remote access, provisioning, other integrations​

If using both iOS and Android:​

  • Ensure solutions and software are support by the devices.​

Appropriate battery life ​

  • How often during a shift will a nurse/clinician need to swap out or plug in a device?​

Docking stations ​

  • Will the phone/device case fit the docking station?​

  • Best location for docking stations?​

If using badge tap and go, which RFID reader is compatible with your badges and the mobile devices?​

Video and image sharing, image file size requirements, etc. ​

What are your EHR requirements for mobile devices?​

Barcode/QR code scanning workflows ​

Review PHI Compliance Requirements

Do you have workflows requiring users to share devices?​

3: Selecting the right devices

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