Title: Clearing m-health hurdles
Author: Lezette Engelbrecht
Source: ITWeb
Publisher: ITWeb Limited
Date (published): 18/11/2009
Date (accessed): 23/11/2009
Type of information: article
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
Language, cost and infrastructure challenges prevent mobile health technologies from being accessible to all.
The demand for ICT-assisted healthcare solutions like mobile health (m-health) is growing exponentially in developing countries due to the lack of suitably qualified doctors and specialists, says Yashik Singh, lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal's department of tele-health.

Singh adds, however, that there are limitations to what m-health can do. “Like with all technology there are drawbacks. The prerequisite of the use of m-health applications by patients themselves is that they will be required to understand basic health information, medication, nutrition, and treatment regime to manage their disease.

“M-health may contribute to the patient gaining this knowledge, but in the short-term patients with low health literacy will not benefit as much.”
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