Mobile Means Global

Abstract

mHealth is rapidly expanding globally, in both volume and scope. One of the most important questions developers and users must ask is whether mHealth can be scaled and sustained for the foreseeable future. Without cost-effectiveness and outcomes research, there is no way to know what works and what does not, particularly with regard to large-scale deployment. There is little to no evidence to show governments, foundations, entrepreneurs, and businesses that mHealth is worthy of investment. Consequently, stronger evidence is necessary to distinguish reality from hype and to encourage investor and entrepreneur participation.

The mobile telephone is arguably the pivotal enabling technology to advance mobile health deployment. Because mobile phones and other mobile technologies require less investment and infrastructure than many other health system transformative efforts, scaling up and widespread deployment of mHealth appears very achievable in developing countries. Some experts suggest that there is a leapfrog phenomenon occurring in which developing countries can expedite adoption of mHealth because they face less entrenched opposition and barriers such as legacy health systems. The possible future for mHealth is that it will continue to foster increased access to care in emerging countries while transforming the developed nations’ large and costly health systems into affordable, prevention-based, and patient-focused delivery systems.

We expect mHealth services and applications will continue to be developed and used everywhere, regardless of country of origin, the patient, provider, or payer’s location. But implementation will depend largely on what motivates the end users, the patients and providers, and, in many cases, the payers who can encourage adoption of mHealth with financial incentives for use.