eHealth and mHealth

There is a great deal of excitement around the use of mobile technology to overcome infrastructural limitation across all fields — business, health, education, agriculture and governance. There is however a contrasting view that mobile services and mobile technology solutions are not yet validated sufficiently to merit their use in strengthening or replacing existing public health delivery programs, and have no standard operating systems. [adapted from abstract]

Home visits by Community Health Workers [In Uganda Community Health Workers are given the collective term of Village Health Teams (VHIs). This is recommended to improve maternal and newborn care. We investigated perceived maternal and newborn benefits of home visits made by VHTs, combined with mobile phone consultations with professional health workers for advice. [adapted from abstract]

This guide that explains how mHealth serves newborn health through referral and tracking of mothers and infants, decision support for CHWs, CHW supervision, scheduling and tracking postpartum and postnatal visits, and teaching and counseling for mothers and families. Case studies are provided from Afghanistan, India, Malawi and Indonesia. Links to resources for planning, implementation and evaluation are included along with lessons learned across the case studies. [from abstract]

We review studies assessing the health-related impacts of mobile health (mHealth) on NCDs in low- and middle-income countries (LAMICs) with the aim of giving recommendations for their further development. [from introduction]

The field of mobile health (mHealth) is experiencing a real need for guidance on public–private partnerships
among players as diverse as the mobile industry, technology vendors, government stakeholders and mHealth service providers. This guide provides a practical resource for mHealth service providers (e.g.

Health workers’ knowledge of contraceptive side effects increased substantially after the refresher training. The mobile phone approach was convenient and flexible and did not disrupt routine service delivery. Clear limitations of the medium are participants can’t practice clinical skills or have interactive discussions. Also, some participants had trouble with network reception. [from abstract]

Given the large scale adoption and deployment of mobile phones by health services and frontline health workers (FHW), we aimed to review and synthesize the evidence on the feasibility and effectiveness of mobile-based services on healthcare delivery. [from abstract]

In many developing country settings, limited resources constrain the development and expansion of certain technology infrastructures — such as high-speed Internet — that could facilitate more efficient data collection and reporting in the health sector. Mobile technologies may offer an affordable alternative to (or alongside) other electronic health applications in many low-resource settings. In this paper, current uses of such mobile technologies in the developing world are discussed, and how these approaches can be applied to improve national monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems.

The use of mHealth interventions withinin health systems research is increasing, with few taking into account the connections between gender and mHealth. This policy brief attempts to fill this gap by exploring key connections between mHealth and gender that need to be taken into account when conducting or implementing mHealth research and interventions.

Blindness and visual impairment continues to be a major public health problem in India. Availability and easy access to primary eye care services is essential for elimination of avoidable blindness. In the current situation, an integrated health care system with primary eye care promoted by government of India is apparently the best answer. This model is both cost effective and practical for the prevention and control of blindness among the underprivileged population. [from abstract]

The impact of the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) strategy has been less than anticipated because of poor uptake. Electronic algorithms have the potential to improve quality of health care in children. However, feasibility studies about the use of electronic protocols on mobile devices over time are limited. This study investigated constraining as well as facilitating factors that influence the uptake of a new electronic Algorithm for
Management of Childhood Illness (ALMANACH) among primary health workers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. [from abstract]

This paper speaks to this agenda, and describes an ongoing pilot study from the state of Punjab in India with a focus on the implications of UHC models on HIS. Five key implications on HIS are identified: Expanding basket of services; Population basing of services; Ensuring continuity of care; Resource allocation choices; Monitoring financial protection and costs of care. [from abstract]

A first part of the study consisted of a detailed analysis of regulatory documents and strategic plans related to the Congolese health system and health informatics development. In a second part, field visits and semi-structured interviews were organized with a representative sample of relevant health structures throughout the country. [from abstract]

This paper presents the study and analysis of some articles that were selected according to their potential contributions to the introduction of information technology (IT) in the Healthcare industry in West Africa. [from introduction]

The mHealth Compendiums document a range of mHealth applications being implemented primarily in Africa. This volume was published in November 2013 and is the third edition in the series. It contains twenty-four new case studies which document mHealth innovations, many of which seek to contribute to USAID’s two overarching objectives of eliminating preventable maternal, newborn and child deaths and achieving an AIDS free generation.

Mobile and wireless technologies assist health projects in accurately assessing the needs of a target population, collecting and disseminating relevant information, and delivering cost effective health services. [from introduction]

he present study investigated awareness of pregnancy danger signs, symptoms and associated factors among a group of South African pregnant women attending prenatal care clinics in rural setting. [from abstract]

This paper employs a qualitative meta-analysis in unpacking the dynamism of intermediary practice in South Africa. The authors consider mobile application design in accessing and using health information. A number of critical design considerations are presented, including the role of context as a static and dynamic modality. The authors ultimately derive an information model, which assimilates four intersecting dimensions of context. [from abstract]

The mHealth Planning Guide helps individuals and organizations appropriately plan for mHealth deployments. [from introduction]

The following case study offers a look at some of these basic ingredients and approaches that can help to achieve both scale and sustainability in the African context. We focus in particular on how closing persistent gaps increases the likelihood of mainstreaming mHealth initiatives into health systems. [from introduction]

Health surveillance assistants (HSAs) in Malawi have provided community case management (CCM) since 2008; however, program monitoring remains challenging. Mobile technology holds the potential to improve data, but rigorous assessments are few. This study tested the validity of collecting CCM implementation strength indicators through mobile phone interviews with HSAs. [from abstract]

In this paper, the authors discuss a mobile interactive messaging system that would enable patients to send preliminary symptoms to the health workers in public hospitals via SMS. The information gathered is stored in database residing at the health facility, which will serve as a reference point to the health workers whenever responding to the messages received from patients. [from abstract]

To celebrate Universal Children’s Day 2013, this report was commissioned by Sesame Workshop to achieve two objectives: (1) to explore current and future opportunities in the use of mobile phones and other relevant information and communications technologies (ICTs) for improving the health and development of young children as investments for a better future, and (2) to provide guidance and recommendations for partnerships, institutions or organizations interested in contributing to this field. [from executive summary]

Health technology assessment (HTA) is mostly used in the context of high- and middle-income countries. Many “resource-poor” settings, which have the greatest need for critical assessment of health technology, have a limited basis for making evidence-based choices. This can lead to inappropriate use of technologies, a problem that could be addressed by HTA that enables the efficient use of resources, which is especially crucial in such settings. There is a lack of clarity about which HTA tools should be used in these settings.

This paper discusses the development of Story-Call, a pilot e-mobile multimedia App, or application, for community-based dementia caregiver support, designed to offer reassurance, information and services to caregivers, and facilitate supportive efforts and implementation of other interventions by nurses and therapists. [from abstract]

The aim here is to explore the extent to which further investment in technology could play a role in the development of an effective and affordable health sector strategy for at least some developing economies. It is suggested that the effectiveness of the approach may be highly dependent on the specific health conditions addressed, the nature of existing health systems and the overall socio-economic and cultural context. [from abstract]

This study investigated whether increased numbers of primary healthcare clinical consultations in Indigenous communities in some remote areas of Australia are associated with the reduced need for urgent medical evacuations and remote telephone consultations. [from abstract]

The Greentree Consensus represents a concerted effort by donors to capture the most important lessons learned by the development community in the implementation of information and communications technology for development (ICT4D) projects. [from resource]

This e-book is a reference guide for countries wanting to link their universal health coverage and eHealth information systems using a standards-based approach. It provides a set of actionable steps and links to resources to develop a national eHealth standards framework. [adapted from resource]

This toolkit provides information about currently available mobile messaging technology solutions, as well as things to consider when selecting a vendor and deploying an mHealth campaign. It was designed for project implementers using mobile messaging campaigns to encourage healthy behaviors in low- and middle-income countries. [adapted from resource]