Wrapping Up

       Thank you for wandering down the rabbit hole with me.  mHealth, eHealth and technology in healthcare is a fast and furiously changing field.  Like Alice in Wonderland, sometimes technology looks and feels incredibly unbelievable and upside down at the same time.  Less than 2 decades ago who would believe that today we would be able to use a mobile phone to check our insulin levels, help people stop smoking or track disease surveillance rates with a small device in our hands that we also use for making phone calls?

Today, we have tools that help us stay connected to others in the privacy of our own homes.  Tools that allow us opportunities to seek information in real time and our own time, and empower us as consumers of health to be partners in healthcare decisions rather than passive patients. These are the tools of future health educators.

My message to future health educators is this; believe in the incredible but also remember these technology apps and methods don’t all work for all populations, and interactive communication technology is not a panacea for all that ails us in public health. Yet, it is a powerful instrument for engagement, continuity of care, and education as well as accessible to most.  Use them wisely, study them well, and stay curious.