More than two-thirds of clinicians at US hospitals use smartphones or tablet computers at their facilities, according to a small HIMSS survey of 139 clinicians. The survey was conducted between October and November of 2014 and published in time with the group's mHealth Summit event in Maryland this week.

"As smartphones and tablet computers are relatively new tools to healthcare organizations, it is necessary to establish a baseline understanding of the presence and impact these technologies have in US hospitals," HIMSS researchers wrote. "By doing so, the market will have a better way to adjudicate the potential these tools have for US healthcare providers and relevant vendors."

Clinicians said that smartphones and tablets enhanced their ability to communicate with other clinicians and healthcare providers and that the devices are providing them with a positive work experience. One-third of clinicians found that using mobile devices make their workday more efficient. One such example is eliminating redundancies in care.

But, clinicians also pointed out some areas for improvement. Though 69 percent of respondents said they used apps to access clinical information, just 33 percent of respondents said that they could access most or all of the clinical systems technologies they need on their mobile device.

Earlier this year, according to the HIMSS Analytics Database, 28 percent of US hospitals reported that smartphones were in use at their organization and on average, 169 smartphones are deployed per hospital. Additionally, 24 percent of US hospitals reported that tablet computers are used at their
organization, with an average of 37 such devices per hospital.