Title: mHealth for Development: The Opportunity of Mobile Technology for Healthcare in the Developing World
Author: Vital Wave Consulting
Pages: 70 pp.
Publisher: UN Foundation-Vodafone Foundation Partnership
Date published: 2009
Date accessed: 19/06/2009
Type of information: research publication
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf, 4,3mb)
Abstract:
Mounting interest in the field of mHealth - the provision of health-related services via mobile communications - can be traced to the evolution of several interrelated trends. In many parts of the world, epidemics and a shortage of healthcare workers continue to present grave challenges for governments and health providers. Yet in these same places, the explosive growth of mobile communications over the past decade offers a new hope for the promotion of quality healthcare. Among those who had previously been left behind by the ‘digital divide,’ billions now have access to reliable technology.

There is a growing body of evidence that demonstrates the potential of mobile communications to radically improve healthcare services—even in some of the most remote and resource-poor environments. mHealth for Development discusses issues at the heart of the rapidly evolving intersection of mobile phones and healthcare. It summarizes mHealth’s scope and implementation across developing regions, the health needs to which mHealth can be applied, and the mHealth applications that promise the greatest impact on heath care initiatives. The report examines the building blocks required to make mHealth more widely available through sustainable implementations.

mHealth for Development surveys the current landscape of mHealth, including profiles of over 50 mHealth programs across 26 developing countries. mHealth project application areas include education and awareness, remote data collection, remote monitoring , communication and training for healthcare workers, disease and epidemic outbreak tracking, and diagnostic and treatment support.