How Digital Health Solutions Can Benefit Your Mobile Workforce

The mobile work revolution happened at an incredible pace. Once a relatively niche arrangement, remote work now accounts for over 15% of jobs in the US alone. This shift brings exciting opportunities and new challenges, especially in supporting employee health and wellbeing.

In traditional, location-based work environment, employee health is already a key concern for employers. (This is a subject we touched upon before, with our article on home office programmes). 

Here are some digital solutions to help maintain a happy, healthy workforce.

You may have already used a digital health solution without even knowing it. Examples of digital health solutions include everyday items like a fitness tracker or an app on your smartphone to monitor your sleep. 

On a broader scale, many countries used a ‘digital vaccination passport’ during the COVID-19 pandemic to track vaccine usage among travellers. 

As well as ‘wearable’ tech, diagnostic tools, and health-related apps, the digital health solution umbrella also covers ‘ telemedicine’. This is the process of receiving medical advice or even treatment, such as therapy, remotely. 

Health investment for employers carries many benefits. A classic example is a workplace offering the flu jab, which is a welcome perk for workers, and reduces absenteeism. 

The same principle applies to digital solutions. It helps maintain a healthy workforce, and, more specifically, it offers solutions to hybrid or remote workers. 

Digital health solutions often ‘gamify’ good habits. This means that they encourage good habits with artificial ‘rewards’ (like praise, kudos, and the option to share wins with others) and notifications and calendars. Awareness is another driver of habit. The more a user is aware of good health habits on a daily basis, the better equipped they might be to maintain a healthy lifestyle. 

This report, which cites 14 studies, found that that health apps can help users across the board to maintain healthier eating habits.

One major innovation of recent years has been remote health care. So, even if you’re based several miles away from the nearest health expert (whether it’s a doctor, therapist or nutritionist), you can hold a consultation remotely. Naturally, this saw a huge boon since 2020.

This innovation has made healthcare more affordable and accessible, particularly for workers in remote locations. 

Mental health apps are becoming increasingly widespread. Worldwide, the market is expected to grow to reach US$17.52 billion by 2030. 

Popular mental health apps include tools for:

• Meditation (e.g., Calm, Headspace)
• Virtual therapy (e.g., BetterHelp, Talkspace)
• Addiction recovery and anxiety management

Employers can enhance adoption by subsidising subscriptions or including these apps as part of employee wellness programs.

On the physical side, wearable technology is the big player, with a wide range of affordable, smart devices to help users track their steps, motion, heartrate and much more.

Apps complement these devices by providing:

• Tailored fitness routines
• Nutritional advice and meal planning
• Social features like sharing running routes or fitness milestones

These tools empower employees to stay active and engage in preventative care, detecting potential health concerns early.

Here is some good news and bad news. On the debit side, unfortunately, it’s very easy to launch an app, and many that offer health benefits have not been subjected to rigorous testing. 

Thankfully, there is a range of digital health solutions that are backed up by evidence and studies. So, research your health solutions before you invest.

Take-up is obviously a concern and if you’re a small enough company, you might have an idea of your colleagues’ health habits. For instance, some prefer a running/exercise app, while others might like something to help with meditation and sleep. 

A company-wide survey is an effective way to ascertain potential take-up of a digital health solution. 

Evaluate whether the solution is:

• User-friendly and accessible across devices.
• Affordable for long-term use, even as your team grows.
• Compatible with international teams, ensuring functionality across regions.

And finally, the employer should consider whether or not they want data or knowledge of employee health; and whether the employee is comfortable with data sharing. 

For further information, read our posts about telehealth and investing in employee health solutions.

There has never been a greater wealth of digital health technologies available to companies and their workers. Take the time to research the solution that fits your organisation best. 

For more insights, explore our blog on AI in healthcare and how it’s reshaping the medical landscape.