Mobile health technology and home hospice care: promise and pitfalls.

Overview

With the increasing use of mobile devices (e.g., smart phones, tablets) in our everyday lives, people have the ability to communicate and share information faster than ever before. This has led to the development of promising applications aimed at improving health and healthcare delivery for those with limited access. Hospice care, which is commonly provided at home, may particularly benefit from the use of this technology platform. This commentary outlines several potential benefits and pitfalls of incorporating mobile health (mHealth) applications into existing home hospice care while highlighting some of the relevant telemedicine work being done in the palliative and End-of-Life care fields.