mHealth.

mHealth; also known as mobile health in general terms, refers to the practice of medicine and public health supported by mobile devices such as mobile phones, tablets, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and the wireless infrastructure.

Within digital health, mHealth encompasses all applications of telecommunications and multimedia technologies for the delivery of healthcare and health information.

The increased penetration of smartphones and expanding wireless network coverage provides digital health systems with new possibilities to address challenges associated with accessibility, quality, effectiveness, efficiency and cost of healthcare. 

The most common digital health applications for mHealth which are leading to an increasing acceptance of mHealth in the digital health community are given below:

v  Education and awareness

v  Diagnostic and treatment support

v  Disease and epidemic outbreak tracking

v  Healthcare supply chain management

v  Remote data collection

v  Remote monitoring

v  Healthcare worker telecommunication and training

v  Telehealth / telemedicine

v  Chronic disease management

Tools for mHealth:

mHealth is becoming a popular option in underserved areas where there is a large population and widespread mobile phone usage.

These “mHealth” or “mobile health” technologies are usually delivered on smart phones, but some also are accessed via earlier-generation mobile devices that feature only voice and text messaging. Such devices are most common in the developing world where there is limited but fast-growing Internet connectivity.

mHealth is dynamic and growing, as technology always is rapidly changing. Newer basic phones can accommodate a memory card, carrying video and other media, and smart phones are becoming more and more affordable.

Creative use of new mobile and wearable health information and sensing technologies (mHealth) has the potential to reduce the cost of health care and improve well-being in numerous ways. These applications are being developed in a variety of domains, but rigorous research is needed to examine the potential, as well as the challenges, of utilizing mobile technologies to improve health outcomes.

Applications of mHealth:

Innovations in mobile technology in low and middle income countries have provided effective ways to improve access to health services and health information, reduce the cost of healthcare delivery, and provide quality data for decision making.

Mobile platforms are the world’s most pervasive technology trend with more than five billion people using them. The most common application of mHealth is the use of mobile phones and communication devices to educate consumers about preventive health care services. However, mHealth is also used for disease surveillance, treatment support, epidemic outbreak tracking and chronic disease management.

Practical examples of mHealth applications include voice information from a provider, and mobile messaging to improve health behaviors including, for example, medication adherence, prenatal care reminders and alerts, and chronic disease self management. At the level of policy and health services decision making, mobile technologies have helped to improve training and service quality of healthcare workers; lower the cost of services by reducing redundancy and duplication; and enhance access to reliable data to facilitate decision making.

Numerous mHealth initiatives across the world have demonstrated the efficacy of using mobile devices to deliver such health solutions in a cost effective manner include:

Ø  Patients make and receive phone calls or text/voice messages related to health education, treatment adherence, contacting health workers or organizing transport to health services.

Ø  Healthcare workers are provided with needed resources to access the most up-to-date clinical guidelines, collaborate with colleagues, analyze data, receive diagnostic support, and interact with clients.

Ø  Positive outcomes are achieved through SMS alerts which have a proven ability to influence behavior in a manner superior to radio and television campaigns.

Ø  Remote data collection is achieved which reduces the health information gap that exists in many developing countries and enables officials to evaluate the effectiveness of public health initiatives, allocate resources appropriately, and optimize policies and programs.

Ø  Medication adherence and chronic care management is supported as evidenced by Smart Alert Systems that notify physicians via a cloud based platform if a patient is not taking medications as prescribed, and requires intervention.

Ø  Access to quality care is optimized helping to address the shortage of skilled healthcare workers, and lessening the burden on those trying to bridge the gap.

Emerging Trends in mHealth Applications:

• Emergency response systems
• Home based remote patient monitoring
• Human resources coordination, management, and supervision
• Mobile synchronous (voice) and asynchronous (SMS) diagnostic and decision support for remote   clinicians
• Point-of-care clinician support which includes an evidence based formulary, as well as database and     decision support information
• Pharmaceutical supply chain integrity
• Patient safety systems
• Remote monitoring and clinical care
• Health extension services
• Health services monitoring and reporting
• Health related mLearning for the general public
• Training and continuing professional development for healthcare workers
• Health promotion and community mobilization
• Support for chronic care management such as diabetes, asthma and cancer
• Peer-to-peer personal health management for telemedicine
• Current Market and Industry Trends for mHealth

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References:

• mHealth — MEASURE Evaluation. 2018. mHealth — MEASURE Evaluation. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.measureevaluation.org/our-work/mhealth. [Accessed 22 July 2018].
• SearchHealthIT. 2018. What is mHealth? - Definition from WhatIs.com. [ONLINE] Available at: https://searchhealthit.techtarget.com/definition/mHealth. [Accessed 22 July 2018].
• www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. 2018. No page title. [ONLINE] Available at:          https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23867031. [Accessed 22 July 2018].