mHealth: A Resolution in Improving Global Health

Background

mHealth (mobile health) is the general term used in medical care for the use of cell phones and other wireless technology. mHealth's most popular use is the use of mobile apps to inform patients about preventive health care services. Nevertheless, mHealth is also used for disease control, care assistance, tracking epidemic outbreaks and management of chronic conditions. mHealth started to came into bigger picture with the use of the most basic mobile technology, that is through the SMS alerts – which certainly has demonstrated ability to affect behaviours in a way that is superior to radio and TV campaigns. Then came the smartphones and smart devices, that completely upgraded the whole scenario. As a result of these technical developments, at the point of need the potential for increased access to information and two-way communication became more accessible. Advances in mobile software and hardware combined with expanded availability of connected devices have contributed to rapid growth in the demand for health apps. Latest reports indicate that more than 259,000 mHealth applications are available today in app stores and account for about 3.2 billion downloads per year (Singh & Landman, 2017). The clinical evidence supporting the use of applications independently of other treatments is still very small, and this has contributed to scepticism among huge healthcare organizations about the part applications could fulfil in healthcare. The mHealth industry is seeing a significant increase in wearable devices due to the growing demand of the consumers to keep track of their personal health. Originally developed to keep consumer usability in mind, these apps, equipped with the latest technologies, are now in the constant update and growth process to introduce newer industry developments The best result amongst the wearables is undoubtedly, the smartwatches. These smartwatches are attached to the app, mostly on mobile phones, which is installed in smart devices. One of the major factors that drive wearable device demand is the proliferation of mHealth technology by healthcare professionals, hospitals, insurers, software development companies, and so on. In essence, healthcare apps now are becoming a substantial part of the integrated health IT functions. Nonetheless, apps tend to displace older innovations in many areas, such as replacing specialized messaging systems for people with autism, and replacing wearable bands with mobile recognition built in smartphone lock screens (Singh & Landman, 2017). Obstacles like privacy issues and lack of incorporation into the electronic medical record have restricted the influence of apps, but mHealth has tremendous potential to reshape the delivery of healthcare in the future. Ethical consideration from the early development stages of such systems should be involved in maximizing the potential of mHealth to the fullest and applying it in an ethically sound way (Singh & Landman, 2017).