Healthcare organizations are making progress in combining personal technologies with healthcare, with a focus on data security and interoperability. The potential of wearable devices to empower patients in their own healthcare is evident, but for broader adoption, health systems need to improve security and connectivity. This is according to a report from the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives and KLAS Research.

The report highlights that healthcare organizations are working to measure the effectiveness of patient engagement tools and make changes to produce optimal results. The authors suggest that this will lead to more effective, proactive, and patient-centric care. Additionally, patients will have a larger role in managing their health as a result of this focus on technology integration.

Wireless technology is being used by health IT executives for various purposes including telehealth for clinicians, wireless Voice over Internet Protocol, video monitoring, cellular connectivity throughout premises, Radio Frequency Identification/Real-Time Location Systems, telemetry over Internet Protocol, wander management/patient elopement/infant abduction, and patient wearables integrated with the EHR. These findings are based on a survey representing the digital footprint of about 40% of U.S. hospitals.