The unprecedented spread of mobile technologies as well as advancements in their innovative application to address health priorities has evolved into a new field of e-Health, known as m-Health (WHO). According to the International Telecommunication Union there are now close to 5 billion mobile phone subscriptions in the world, with over 85% of the world’s population now covered by a commercial wireless signal. Recent advances in mobile technology have made it practical to automate some aspects of health care delivery in various health care settings.
Evidence suggests mobile technology presents promising opportunities to improve the range and quality of services provided by community health workers. Various categories of mobile health technology (m-Health services) applications include health call centers, emergency toll-free telephone services, managing emergencies, mobile telemedicine, appointment reminders, community mobilization and health promotion, treatment compliance, mobile patient records, information access, patient monitoring, health surveys and data collection, surveillance, health awareness raising, and decision support systems. Therefore, mobile health technology (MHT) can be applied to develop any of these systems mentioned above.
Mobile phones can simply be used to encourage patients to take their medication. Text short message service (SMS) messages, or other reminders like automatic call-backs can be used to communicate with patients, who are otherwise required to visit a TB clinic or to be monitored by a visiting health worker. Application features could include reminders, the app can remind patients to take their medication on time while being observed from an observer using the same application. Through video/telemedicine calling service, the observer will be able to monitor/diagnose his/her patients while taking their medication after receiving reminders and inquiring service in which patients can inquire about anything related to their case through the application.
With the use of mobile phones, electronic data capture can potentially make it easier for health care personnel to collect and manage large volumes of data and shortens the time needed for analysis. This process streamlines the reporting of patient data to their respective national TB/HIV-AIDS/Cancer or many other programs. It will include streamlining of the reporting system in laboratories – connecting lab technicians, lab directors, physicians, field workers and, ultimately, patients – via text (SMS) and mobile or web interfaces. Projects can also integrate Global Positioning System (GPS) enabled phones to monitor the location of where field workers enter patient data, ensuring that fraudulent data is not entered from the field workers’ homes.
In addition, GPS allows real-time mapping of disease outbreaks to accelerate the response time among governments and health workers alike.
Therefore, we can say that mHealth tools enable CHWs to provide health services far from the clinical setting, in remote areas, and among hard to reach communities. Under this decentralized approach to service provision, health care can become more accessible to patients due to reduced time and expense of travel and due to the ability to seek out patients who are the targets of stigma and discrimination. These tools may help CHWs overcome many of the barriers they face in the field, including balancing multiple priorities, lacking appropriate tools to provide services and collect data, and limited access to training and supervision. As CHWs are generally the most frequent connectors of communities to formal health systems, the use of mobile tools to enhance health system performance requires further evidences. Assuring a successful roll-out of a mobile health application does not include only building the application. A comprehensive ‘cost effective analysis’ and ‘health impact assessment’ also needs to be done which should be done along with the groups of stakeholders who will determine the success or failure of the innovative technology.
Dr. Shikha Gupta (O.Th.), MHA (TISS)
Evidence suggests mobile technology presents promising opportunities to improve the range and quality of services provided by community health workers. Various categories of mobile health technology (m-Health services) applications include health call centers, emergency toll-free telephone services, managing emergencies, mobile telemedicine, appointment reminders, community mobilization and health promotion, treatment compliance, mobile patient records, information access, patient monitoring, health surveys and data collection, surveillance, health awareness raising, and decision support systems. Therefore, mobile health technology (MHT) can be applied to develop any of these systems mentioned above.
Mobile phones can simply be used to encourage patients to take their medication. Text short message service (SMS) messages, or other reminders like automatic call-backs can be used to communicate with patients, who are otherwise required to visit a TB clinic or to be monitored by a visiting health worker. Application features could include reminders, the app can remind patients to take their medication on time while being observed from an observer using the same application. Through video/telemedicine calling service, the observer will be able to monitor/diagnose his/her patients while taking their medication after receiving reminders and inquiring service in which patients can inquire about anything related to their case through the application.
With the use of mobile phones, electronic data capture can potentially make it easier for health care personnel to collect and manage large volumes of data and shortens the time needed for analysis. This process streamlines the reporting of patient data to their respective national TB/HIV-AIDS/Cancer or many other programs. It will include streamlining of the reporting system in laboratories – connecting lab technicians, lab directors, physicians, field workers and, ultimately, patients – via text (SMS) and mobile or web interfaces. Projects can also integrate Global Positioning System (GPS) enabled phones to monitor the location of where field workers enter patient data, ensuring that fraudulent data is not entered from the field workers’ homes.
In addition, GPS allows real-time mapping of disease outbreaks to accelerate the response time among governments and health workers alike.
Therefore, we can say that mHealth tools enable CHWs to provide health services far from the clinical setting, in remote areas, and among hard to reach communities. Under this decentralized approach to service provision, health care can become more accessible to patients due to reduced time and expense of travel and due to the ability to seek out patients who are the targets of stigma and discrimination. These tools may help CHWs overcome many of the barriers they face in the field, including balancing multiple priorities, lacking appropriate tools to provide services and collect data, and limited access to training and supervision. As CHWs are generally the most frequent connectors of communities to formal health systems, the use of mobile tools to enhance health system performance requires further evidences. Assuring a successful roll-out of a mobile health application does not include only building the application. A comprehensive ‘cost effective analysis’ and ‘health impact assessment’ also needs to be done which should be done along with the groups of stakeholders who will determine the success or failure of the innovative technology.
Dr. Shikha Gupta (O.Th.), MHA (TISS)
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