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The 2012 Cisco Global Cloud Networking Survey queried more than 1,300 people on their feelings and experiences with moving to a cloud computing model, and the findings paint a somewhat confusing picture (perhaps due in part to the questions asked). While the majority of respondents expressed relative comfort with the state of their cloud migrations, some took rather extreme negative positions.
But even IT personnel who don’t like it are stuck with the cloud: not going there would mean disobeying their bosses or, worse, not keeping up with the Joneses. One finding — not included in the infographic below — is that while 52 percent are moving to the cloud because of an imperative from above, 41 percent are following their industry peers. Hey, if everyone else is doing, what can go wrong?
Chris: Happtique mRx Trial Prompts Doctors to Prescribe Mobile Apps to Patients
This story speaks to consumerology as well as mHealth.
Now you may leave the doctor's office with not only a prescription for medication but an Rx for a mobile application to help take better care of yourself. Happtique, whose name stands for health app boutique, offers branded multiplatform app stores to health care organizations. It also offers a certification program to vet mobile health apps for doctors, nurses and patients. The program is similar to a Good Housekeeping seal of approval.
It’s a framework that allows a doctor to “prescribe” applications, and then be notified when those applications are downloaded by the patient. Feels kind of big brother-ish but when you look at the numbers it’s only about 65% of people with chronic diseases that are following their prescriptive solution. I think the aim here is that this isn’t the same as discharge instructions - this is an actual prescription to use an application for a set period time until you’re better. Time and time again I see that knowledge doesn’t change behavior, maybe this is a move in the right direction.
For the future the question would be if your insurance can be affected by your tendency to follow or not follow prescriptions that can be verified. Where does this end up? Well there’s plenty of sci-fi stories that both warn and encourage but the need for this probably outweighs any privacy concerns between a patient and their employer’s insurance company.
