This document provides an overview of mHealth (mobile health) including: - Defining mHealth and describing common mobile technologies used - Benefits and limitations of mobile technology for healthcare - Types of mobile phones and increasing global mobile phone penetration rates - Principles, motivations, and applications of mHealth such as education/awareness, diagnostic support, remote monitoring, and disease tracking - Examples of mHealth programs around the world

1. Ch-4
Fundamentals of mHealth
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2. OBJECTIVES
At the end of this chapter the students will be able to:
Define mHealth
Recognize the principles of mHealth
Identify and explain the current use or application of mHealth
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3. Mobile Technology
Mobile technology is defined as an electronic device that allows users to
transport, travel and essentially become mobile
Forms of mobile technology:
Mobile phones
Personal digital assistants (PDAs)
Laptops
Tablets
Patient monitoring devices
Global positioning system (GPS) devices

4. Benefits and Limitations of Mobile Technology
Benefits
Portability
Accessibility
Ease of use
Applications
Personalization
Convenience
Limitations
Privacy and security
Damage/loss
Power/battery

5. Type of mobile phones
 Low-end phones or basic phones
Have only core functionalities (voice calling and SMS messaging)
Low cost
 Feature phones or internet-enabled phones
Have core functionalities (voice calling and SMS messaging)
Can access the internet for sending email, browsing the web and so on (but usually without
the same ease-of-use as smartphones due to smaller screens)

6. Type of mobile phones…
 Smartphone
Provide voice, SMS, and internet access
Have an independent operating system (e.g. Android and apple) which can run built-in
applications for a wide variety of purposes (e.g., Web browsing, calendars, document reading,
among others).
 Tablet computers and e-Readers
Handheld devices with large screens designed for easily reading and working on long documents
Can be designed with functionalities similar to smartphones (e.g., Apple’s iPad) or similar to
traditional laptop computers
Can be designed to access the internet over mobile networks

7. Mobile phone penetration
Mobile phones have made a recent and rapid entrance into many parts of the
low- and middle-income world, with the global Mobile phone penetration
rate drastically increasing over the last decade.
Improvements in telecommunications technology infrastructure, reduced
costs of mobile handsets, and a general increase in non
food expenditure have influenced this trend.
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8. Mobile phone penetration
 The global mobile phone penetration rate drastically increasing over the last decade.
 Improvements in ICT infrastructure & reduced costs of mobile have influenced the trend.
 In 2018
 Global mobile phone penetration rate = 104.937%/
 USA = 123.688%
 EU = 122.054%
 China = 114.955%
 South Asia = 86.777%
 Africa = Sub-Saharan Africa = 77.433%
 Least Developed Countries = 72.358%
 Ethiopia = 36.201% but was 49.442% in 2016

9. Definition of m-health information system
M-health is a way of supporting medical and public health practice by mobile devices, such
as mobile phones, patient monitoring devices, and other wireless devices.
A system that integrates data collection, processing, reporting, and use of the information
necessary for improving health service effectiveness and efficiency through mobile device
with better management at all levels of health services
It is a component of e-Health.
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10. Rational for m-Health
According to the International Telecommunication Union, there were almost 6 billion
mobile phones were use in worldwide in late 2011 for the healthcare system.
Mobile technology offers tremendous opportunities for the healthcare industry to address
one of the most pressing global challenges. it makes healthcare more accessible, faster,
better and cheaper.
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11. Rational for m-Health…
Technologies such as
Electronic medical records,
Remote monitoring and communication platforms, etc. is in many ways the
prerequisite for the flourishing of mHealth.
Patient-centric, ‘care anywhere’ is becoming a reality.
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12. Rational for m-Health…
Improvements in quality have been demonstrated by increased adherence to
guideline-based care,
Enhanced surveillance and monitoring, and
Fewer medication-related errors, such as incorrect prescriptions involving the wrong
drug, wrong dose or incorrect route of administration.
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13. Rational for m-Health…
Reduced costs related to utilization (reduced numbers of laboratory and radiology tests),
improved drug dosing and decreased medication related adverse events.
Personal history records have additional potential benefits to improve patient health and
communication with providers.
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14. Principles for m-Health
mHealth solutions have begun to embrace the following six principles:
Interoperability: Interoperable with sensors and other mobile/non-mobile devices to
share vast amounts of data with other applications, such as electronic health records and
existing healthcare plans.
Integration: Integrated into existing activities and workflows of providers and patients to
provide the support needed for new behaviours.
Intelligence: Offer problem-solving ability to provide real-time, qualitative solutions
based on existing data in order to realise productivity gains.
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15. Principles for m-Health
Socialisation: Act as a hub by sharing information across a broad community to provide
support, coaching, recommendations and other forms of assistance.
Outcomes: Provide a return on investment in terms of cost, access and quality of care
based on healthcare objectives.
Engagement: Enable patient involvement and the provision instant feedback in order to
realise new behaviours and/or sustain desired performance.
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16. Motivation of m-Health
The motivation behind the development of the m-Health field arises from two factors.
1. Numerous constraints felt by healthcare systems of developing nations.
High population growth
High burden of disease prevalence
Low health care workforce????
Large numbers of rural inhabitants ,
Limited financial resources to support healthcare infrastructure and health information
systems.
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17. Motivation of m-Health
2.Recent rapid rise in mobile phone penetration in developing countries to large
segments of the healthcare workforce, as well as the population of a country as
a whole.
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18. Health care constraints and m-Health in the Globe
Higher-income countries show more m-Health activity than do lower-income countries.
Countries in the European Region are currently the most active and those in the African
Region the least active.
mHealth is most easily incorporated into processes and services that historically use voice
communication through conventional telephone networks.
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19. Healthcare and m-Health in developed countries.
In US many patients and consumers use their cell phones and tablets to access health
information and look for healthcare services.
In parallel the number of m-Health applications grew significantly.
Doctors, nurses and clinicians use mobile devices to access patient information and
other databases and resources.
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20. M-Health utility
mHealth involves the use and capitalization on a mobile phone’s core utility
Voice and short messaging service (SMS) .
More complex functionalities and applications including
General packet radio service (GPRS),
Third and fourth generation mobile telecommunications
Global positioning system (GPS), and Bluetooth technology.
Wi-Fi connectivity
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21. Technology and market
Basic SMS functions and real-time voice communication serve as the backbone and the
current most common use of mobile phone technology.
The application of mobile communication technologies is that they enable communication in
motion, allowing individuals (patients, physicians) to contact each other irrespective of time
and place.
This is particularly beneficial for work in remote areas where the mobile phone, and now
increasingly wireless infrastructure, is able to reach more people, faster.
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22. Applications in the m-Health field
Education and awareness
Helpline
Diagnostic and treatment support
Communication and training for healthcare workers
Disease and epidemic outbreak tracking
Remote monitoring
Remote data collection
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23. Education and awareness
Education and awareness programs within the m-Health field are largely about the spreading of
mass information from source to recipient through short message services (SMS).
 SMS messages are sent directly to users' phones to offer information about various subjects,
including testing and treatment methods, availability of health services, and disease
management.
 SMSs provide an advantage of being relatively unobtrusive, offering patients confidentiality in
environments where disease exists.
SMSs provide an avenue to reach far-reaching areas such as rural areas.
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24. Helpline
Helpline typically consists of a specific phone number that any individual is able to call
to gain access to a range of medical services.
These include phone consultations, counseling, service complaints, and information on
facilities, drugs, equipment, and/or available mobile health clinics.
Come up with different helpline numbers????
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25. Diagnostic support, communication and training for healthcare workers.
Diagnostic and treatment support systems are typically designed to provide healthcare
workers in remote areas advice about diagnosis and treatment of patients.
 Both diagnosis and treatment support projects attempt to alleviate the cost and time of
travel for patients located in remote areas.
Improved communication projects attempt to increase knowledge transfer amongst
healthcare workers and improve patient outcomes through such programs as patient
referral processes.
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26. Examples
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27. Disease surveillance, remote data collection, and epidemic outbreak tracking
Projects within this area operate to utilize mobile phones ability to collect and transmit data
quickly, cheaply, and relatively efficiently.
Data concerning the location and levels of specific diseases (such
as malaria, HIV/AIDS, TB, Avian Flu) can help medical systems or ministries of health or
other organizations identify outbreaks and better target medical resources to areas of
greatest need.
Policymakers and health providers at the national, district, and community level need
accurate data
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29. Treatment support and medication compliance for patients
Remote monitoring and treatment support allows for greater involvement in the continued
care of patients.
Within environments of limited resources and beds and subsequently an 'outpatient'
culture, remote monitoring allows healthcare workers to better track patient conditions,
medication regimen adherence, and follow-up scheduling.
Such projects can operate through either one or two way communications systems.
Remote monitoring has been used particularly in the area of medication adherence for
AIDS and diabetes
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30. Assignment
1. Group one
Countries’ experiences regarding to eHealth practice such as telehealth, telemedicine,
electronic medical record, tenacare, electronic way of patient data handling, reporting
and communication etc?
2. Group Two
Brief introduction about clinical decision support system, hospital based information
system and terminology management system.

31. Thank you!!