eHealth and mHealth

This chapter reviews progress made by the health sector in implementing the eHealth Strategy 2012–2016, which was approved by the Ministry of Health and published in July 2012. The finalisation of this Strategy following
several attempts, and its placement in the public domain, created optimism that a clear vision for improving health information systems in South Africa had been successfully articulated. [from introduction]

Hypertension and diabetes have become a major public health challenge in India. This research work aims to develop a feasible and scalable intervention for hypertension and diabetes, tailored to primary care settings in India. [from abstract]

Jeffrey Sachs, the Director of the Earth Institute, has suggested that ‘Mobile phones and wireless internet end isolation, and will therefore prove to be the most transformative technology of economic development of our time’. The mHealth community believes that this extends to healthcare. This review aims to summarise and assess the evidence of impacts that mobile technologies have had on improving health in countries categorised by the World Bank as low- and middle-income (LMICs), through mHealth (mobile health) interventions. [from abstract]

The general objective of the study was to assess the effect of integrating mobile communication strategies, as part of existing health service packages, on maternal and newborn health (MNH) service utilization in one health district, Bombali, in Sierra Leone. [from executive summary]

We explore the current status of this area in the research community. E-health gives us an introduction to why we are trying to introduce information and communication technology’s (ICT’s) in order to improve health care. [adapted from abstract]

Bangladesh is facing a lot of challenges in quality healthcare management. The recent advances in information and communication technologies (ICT) could play vital role in improving healthcare services and reaching them to the doorstep of the marginalized people. This research aims to evaluate the present health status of the country and explores the applicability of e-Health as well as the challenges and issues of electronic healthcare development. This study has conducted a survey on patient’s views and expectations toward e-Health for quality healthcare management.

The last decade has witnessed massive growth in the African economy, accompanied by an unprecedented uptake of novel communications technologies across the five sub-regions. At the same time, the burden of various diseases – both communicable and non-communicable – is also escalating. Thus, the objective of this research was to analyze and highlight uncommon applications of novel technologies toward healthcare delivery in Africa. [from abstract]

As countries strive toward universal health coverage, mobile wireless technologies—mHealth tools—in support of enumeration, registration, unique identification, and maintenance of health records will facilitate improved health system performance. Electronic forms and registry systems will enable routine monitoring of the coverage of essential interventions for individuals within relevant target populations. A cascading model is presented for prioritizing and operationalizing the role of integrated mHealth strategies.

There is an evolving need for better utilization of ICT resources which are direct, cost effective, time-saving, and highly persuasive in pursuit of quality healthcare delivery. Therefore this research proposes a ten-layer ICT model converging advanced Mobile and Internet interventions, to disseminate health messages for patients suffering from fatal diseases. Using breast cancer as an instance, a communication strategy is exemplified using the ten-layer model.

Behavior is crucial throughout global health interventions. The discipline of behavior change offers distinct expertise needed across 6 different domains of behavior. Such expertise is in short supply, however. We will not have effective and sustainable health systems, nor achieve our ambitious global health goals, without seriously addressing behavior change. [from abstract]

This research aims to evaluate the potentialities, issues and challenges of developing mobile healthcare system in the developing world. We have proposed a potential mHealth model based on mobile telecommunication networks. This research offers a set of guidelines to aid the implementation of a successful mobile healthcare system. [from abstract]

mHealth has attracted considerable attention as a means of supporting maternal, newborn and child health in developing countries and research to assess the impacts of mHealth interventions is increasing. While a number of expert reviews have attempted to summarise this literature, there remains a need for a fully systematic review employing gold standard methods of evidence capture, critical appraisal and meta–analysis, in order to comprehensively map, quality assess and synthesise this body of knowledge. [from abstract]

The focus of this study is to assess development in ICT use in preventive health care systems by examining relevant literature as well as innovations that can be brought in as dividends for desired performance of the medical personnel.[adapted from abstract]

This paper explores how e-learning is situated in the drive towards realization of MDGs [Millennium Development Goals] in the African continent.

This paper reports on a literature review as part of a research program, which aims to inform the development of an effective roadmap for the successful implementation of the national e-Health initiative in Ghana. [from abstract]

The aim of this report is to review and discuss approaches, opportunities and challenges in the aggregation, presentation and dissemination of data collected in a mobile phone-based nutrition surveillance system. [from introduction]

Our rationale for this review is that despite calls for broad implementation of mHealth in [sub-Saharan Africa], no systematic literature review has focused on the use of mHealth for NCDs in the region. [adapted from introduction]

In this study, we sought to investigate perceptions related to feasibility and acceptability of using text messaging to improve treatment adherence among adults who were receiving treatment for TB in Callao, Peru. [from abstract]

To determine the difference in delivery success of health messages delivered through pushed SMS, pushed
voice messages sent to personal phones, and voice messages retrieved from a community phone (‘‘retrieved voice
messaging’’), as well as the difference in quality of the user experience. [from abstract]

To determine the difference in delivery success of health messages delivered through pushed SMS, pushed
voice messages sent to personal phones, and voice messages retrieved from a community phone (‘‘retrieved voice
messaging’’), as well as the difference in quality of the user experience. [from abstract]

Mobile phones have advantages when used in health programs for youth, as youth in general are responsive to and excited about using new technologies. [from introduction]

This report outlines the findings from a three-pronged approach that includes: 1. Establishing a database of existing mHealth tools related to FLHW performance and accountability; 2. Conducting a literature review on the evidence
base of using mHealth tools to improve FLHW performance and accountability; 3. Developing a framework to guide the adaptation of paper-based content into mobile-friendly content. [from summary]

To compare the effectiveness of mobile phone text messaging and that of traditional health worker training in communicating clinical recommendations to health workers in China. [from abstract]

This study explores the personal experiences of health workers using e-health innovations in selected
post-conflict situations. [from abstract]

This toolkit can help public health managers to plan for the implementation of information and communications technology (ICT) in health information systems. It draws on lessons learned during project Optimize, a five-year partnership between the World Health Organization and PATH to help optimize the vaccine supply chain

This project aimed to meet the technical needs of Health Extension Workers and midwives in Ethiopia for maternal health using appropriate mobile technologies tools. [from introduction]

This study aimed to evaluate an e-mental health approach to workers’ health surveillance targeting work functioning and mental health of healthcare professionals in a randomized controlled trial. [from abstract]

This study reviewed the evidence for the use of mobile technology by community health workers to identify opportunities and challenges for strengthening health systems in resource-constrained settings. [from abstract]

This article shares various experiences in using mobile phones for malaria programs from news reports and research studies and how the mobile phone is becoming a valuable tool in fighting malaria from improving management of the information flow between health managers, health workers and patients to assisting health workers in parasite diagnosis. [adapted from author]

This paper from the International Conference on ICT for Africa reports on a mobile phone application designed to support community health workers in providing family planning counseling to their clients. [from abstract]