Judging the Value of Mobile Healthcare Solutions for Improving Outpatient Adherence

The problem of low adherence in outpatient conditions on one side and the ubiquity of mobile communications and data services on the other side suggests an innovative idea: improve some forms of outpatient adherence through the use of mobile information technology (IT). This idea springs from the general approaches recommended for improving adherence in relevant medical literature (Haynes, Yao, Degani, Kripalani, Garg, & McDonald, 2005; McDonald, Garg, & Haynes, 2002). Although the philosophy of using the newest technology for promoting wellbeing may seem attractive, various human, technological, and financial issues must be considered first (Cocosila & Archer, 2005b). On the adoption of mobile technology, an important aspect that has not been addressed adequately in the literature is the business perspective. The objective of this study is to introduce a framework for determining the business case for mobile information technology (IT) solutions that will help to increase outpatient adherence.