Why mobile health is vital for developing countries

Mobile technology, or mHealth, is predicted by many to play an important role in the future of healthcare. mHealth is steadily becoming a reality in healthcare on a global scale, not only in the developed world. In fact, emerging markets are adopting mHealth-technologies at a faster rate than the developed markets. And that’s where it can play a vital part.

It’s not only nations like the USA or Germany that can reap the benefits of the technological health revolution. It may in fact be so that mHealth plays a bigger role in developing nations — especially in countries which have big rural communities.

In many developing nations healthcare systems are burdened by the pressures of a very high population growth and a high prevalence of disease. Combine this with scarce financial, as well as physical, resources and you have a very difficult situation. In fact, in many of these countries, the average is 1 doctor to 250,000 patients.

But, there is hope. What many developing countries do have, on the other hand, is a very high mobile penetration. Today, approximately 6 of the 7 billion people in world are cellphone subscribers. This means that in areas where things like education is lacking, there is a strong opportunity for mobile technology to reach and address the problem.

A lot of the areas that need support in the health sector of these countries can be targeted by using mHealth in order to provide assistance, instruction and education.

Providing education

One of the primary benefits of mobile technology is that it can establish an important connection with people and groups who would normally be beyond reach of one another. With mobile penetration into the rural areas of the world it is now possible to provide education via a digital link.

This can greatly benefit areas who are in dire need of proper medical instructions, for example in reducing maternal mortality and the treatment of common diseases. Information via mobile phones, such as apps or text messages, has also proven to be an effective method for increasing health awareness and preventing disease. Generally, education is a broad spectrum where mobile technology can play many key roles, not only in healthcare.

A global reach

In rural areas, it can be difficult to find access to experienced medical professionals for an accurate diagnostic assessment. Through mobile monitoring and the virtual presence of a medical professional, it is possible to provide hard-to-reach areas with a quality of care previously unavailable.

One example, from the The Canadian Medical Association Journal, describes pilot tests that have been conducted using a mobile-presence device in remote regions of the Bolivian Andes mountains. These devices allowed an obstetrician in Halifax, Canada to work with pregnant mothers in the region. The obstetrician could monitor things like the baby’s heartbeat and even complete a prenatal ultrasound with the help of a local nurse.

Managing widespread disease

Medical adherence, or making sure people take their medicines, is a big part in managing diseases like HIV, which has a wide spread in large parts of Africa. Using mobile text messages to remind patients to take their medicines has proven successful for many diseases, such as diabetes.

Text message reminders to HIV positive patients has also shown promising results. Both in medical adherence and, consecutively, in biological markers (such as reduced viral load in the bloodstream).

Another, quite innovative, example of how mHealth can help in regulating disease, comes from India. An Indian software-developer created a mobile phone game after a HIV/AIDS pandemic in 2005. The game, which gained a wide spread, was structured to increase disease awareness and prevention.

Six years later the rate of HIV infections had fallen by over 50%. While the game was not likely solely responsible for the decrease, it was one of the successful measures taken in order to manage the spread of the infection.

Mobile technology in healthcare is a field that holds many opportunities. Above examples provide a general overview of how mHealth can benefit the areas of the world where the access to quality healthcare is poor, yet the need is great. Technology can bridge this gap. And save lives.