New Imprivata Report: Hospitals Save an Average of $1.1M Annually with Shared Mobile Devices, But Most Still Lack a Formal Use Policy

Shared mobile devices deliver significant benefits to clinical workflows and patient care, but gaps in user experience, oversight, and policy enforcement still limit their full impact

WALTHAM, Mass., July 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Imprivata, a leading provider of access management solutions for healthcare and other mission-critical industries, today released new global research revealing that 92% of healthcare leaders now consider mobile devices essential to care delivery—a sharp shift from convenience to clinical necessity—and report an average of $1.1 million in annual savings from shared-use device strategies. Nearly all (99%) expect usage to increase in their facilities, underscoring the growing reliance on mobile tools. Despite widespread adoption, 87% of care teams still encounter issues accessing devices at the start of their shifts, losing an average of 13 minutes just to get assigned a shared-use device. Compounding the problem, nearly half of organizations (44%) lack a formal policy to manage device allocation and usage.

Titled “The 2025 Imprivata State of Shared Mobile Devices in Healthcare Report: Insights, Risks, and Solutions,” the study provides a comprehensive view of how hospitals and healthcare systems are using mobile devices in clinical care—and where foundational gaps in governance and technology are limiting success. Research conducted by Vanson Bourne, the report draws on responses from healthcare and IT leaders across the U.S., revealing both the potential and the risks of mobile transformation in care delivery.

“Every second counts in healthcare, and delays caused by outdated mobile workflows aren’t just frustrating—they can lead to lapses in care coordination, delayed treatment, or missed information, making them potentially dangerous,” said Dr. Sean Kelly, Chief Medical Officer at Imprivata and a practicing emergency physician. “From my experience on the front lines of patient care, it’s clear that technology must adapt to the clinician, not the other way around. If we want to reduce burnout and improve outcomes, we must design secure mobile strategies around the realities of fast-paced, shared device environments.”

The rising importance of shared devices in care delivery
Once a helpful add-on, mobile devices have rapidly become mission-critical to clinical operations, with healthcare leaders citing clinical workflows, patient care, IT security, and team coordination as top benefits. Nearly all respondents (94%) say mobile devices improve staff satisfaction, and 90% believe they help reduce clinician burnout.

The financial case is equally compelling. Organizations estimate an average of more than $1.1 million in annual savings from shared-use mobile devices, largely due to gains in communication speed, mobility, and workflow efficiency. Usage is expected to rise across nearly all health systems over the next two years.

Operational and security gaps holding back progress
While the promise of shared-use mobile devices is clear, the report surfaces critical execution gaps that are limiting their effectiveness and increasing risk.

• Missing devices and manual oversight slow teams down: On average, 23% of shared-use mobile devices go missing annually, often due to reliance on outdated tracking tools like sign-out sheets or spreadsheets. These gaps can delay care delivery by hours each week and place an unnecessary burden on IT staff, who spend 32% of their time on device maintenance and another 50% on tracking and monitoring.
• Security risks compromise patient privacy: The report highlights growing concerns around data exposure: 74% of shared-use devices are often left signed in, and 79% of staff admit to sharing credentials when accessing these devices–exposing sensitive patient data to potential HIPAA violations. Among the healthcare leaders surveyed, data security was the most frequently cited challenge (44%), reflecting heightened awareness of mobile-related vulnerabilities.
• Outdated authentication methods are still widespread: Despite the known risks, 26% of organizations cite usernames and passwords as the most common access method for shared-use devices. This reliance not only slows down clinicians; it also leaves systems vulnerable to breaches, especially in high-turnover environments.
• Clinicians resort to BYOD workarounds: When shared-use devices are difficult to access or unavailable, 81% of clinicians resort to using personal phones, despite 92% of healthcare leaders saying shared-use mobile devices deliver better ROI than 1:1 or BYOD models. This workaround undermines security protocols and puts institutional investments at risk.

“This research makes it clear: the future of care depends on mobile strategies that are fast, secure, and built around the realities of clinical work,” added Dr. Kelly. “When access is frictionless and secure, clinicians can spend less time troubleshooting technology and more time focused on what matters most: delivering safe, efficient, and connected patient care.”

Methodology
For this report, researchers surveyed 400 leaders from acute care facilities with 100+ beds across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. The respondent pool consisted of 242 IT decision makers and 158 clinical leaders. Survey objectives included assessing current adoption and usage of shared-use mobile devices, exploring benefits across clinical, operational, and security domains, and identifying key challenges and barriers to effective implementation of shared-use mobile devices.

About Imprivata
Imprivata delivers simple and secure access management solutions for healthcare and other mission-critical industries to ensure every second of crucial work is both frictionless and secure. Imprivata’s platform of innovative, interoperable access management and privileged access security solutions enable organizations to fully manage and secure all enterprise and third-party identities to facilitate seamless user access, protect against internal and external security threats, and reduce total cost of ownership. For more information, visit www.imprivata.com.

Media Contact
press@imprivata.com

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