Question

Describe your opinion of why some collaborative interfaces, such as email, are much more popular than others, such as video-conferencing. Compare and contrast your method with at least two of your peers' responses.

Answer 1

Email has become mainstream for users, whether expert or novice. Video conferencing still has some technology limitations such as throughput (bandwidth) and quality of both video and voice. This all depends on the capacity of the computer, the tools used, and its internet broadband connection.

Mobile or Handheld Technologies

The term “mobile devices” refers to a number of types of handheld and mobile computers, but it most frequently denotes mobile phones and includes both smartphones (handheld computers that can run a complete operating system and thus can function as a platform for app developers) and feature phones (mobile phones that have less computing capacity than smartphones). The popularity of mobile phones has increased dramatically in recent years. Global penetration of mobile cellular subscriptions has reached 87 percent and currently stands at 79 percent in the developing world, with about 6 billion mobile phone subscriptions worldwide; mobile broadband subscriptions have grown 45 percent annually over the past 4 years, and today, there are twice as many mobile broadband as fixed broadband subscriptions . Given the widespread use, ease of use, portability, and high level of computing capacity of even basic feature phones, these technologies offer great potential for affecting public health and healthcare delivery.

Electronic Health Records

Another important consideration in using technology-based therapeutic tools in the behavioral health arena is electronic health records (EHRs), which are also called electronic medical records (EMRs). The terms are often used interchangeably, but an EMR typically refers to an individual's patient record created in a single healthcare setting, whereas an EHR typically collects data cumulatively across healthcare settings. EHRs are part of a larger effort to promote meaningful use of health information technology that improves healthcare and enhances information exchange among healthcare professionals. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 emphasize the widespread and meaningful use of EHRs, which are intended to improve record keeping, outcomes reporting, patient transitions across providers (along with their medical records), and quality of patient care (by increasing communication across providers and reducing medical errors). The three main components of meaningful use are the use of a certified EHR in a meaningful manner, the electronic exchange of health information to improve quality of healthcare, and the use of certified EHR technology to submit clinical quality measures and other measures.