Types of health content viewed via mobile devices by U.S. physicians 2015

This survey shows the share of physicians in the United States based on their use of mobile devices for viewing leading types of health-related content, as of January 2015. At this time, 28 percent of surveyed physicians used mobile devices for viewing practice management articles. Use of digital health has grown in the medical industry as consumers are expressing increasing interests in mobile health technologies.

Health-related content used on mobile devices

Physicians have increased their use of digital technologies as part of their medical profession. In 2015, 53 percent of doctors used mobile devices to search for pharmaceutical information and 28 percent used mobile technology to view practice management articles. However, many physicians report they have insufficient access to important digital health resources. Over three-quarters of physicians report a desire for better access to journal articles and publications and over half desire better access to medical applications for their mobile devices. However, doctors still tend to use smartphones in their practices primarily for their own benefit, whereas tablets and computers are more often shared with the patient. Smartphone usage among physicians is primarily used as a quick reference to drug and other health information.