U.N. Report: mHealth for Development

In 2009, the U.N. Foundation released a report entitled, "mHealth for Development: The Opportunity of Mobile Technology for Healthcare in the Developing World." This report examines issues at the heart of the rapidly evolving intersection of mobile phones and healthcare. It helps the reader to understand 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.

A growing number of developing countries are using mobile technology to address health needs. The mHealth field is remarkably dynamic, and the range of applications being designed is constantly expanding. The key applications for mHealth in developing countries are:

■ Education and awareness
■ Remote data collection
■ Remote monitoring
■ Communication and training for healthcare workers
■ Disease and epidemic outbreak tracking
■ Diagnostic and treatment support

This report details 51 mHealth programs, either currently operating or slated for implementation in the near future, that are taking place in 26 different developing countries.

Download the full report  from the U.N. Foundation web site.