Global Survey Tracks Mobile Phone Use for Health Activities

More than eight in 10 countries are using mobile phones to support healthcare activities, according to a new report from the World Health Organization.

Yet the report, “mHealth: New Horizons for Health through Mobile Technologies,” written by WHO’s Global Observatory for eHealth, also points out that many of these mHealth activities are in the pilot phase and therefore limited in effectiveness.

“Wireless technologies have enormous potential to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of health programs as they grow beyond the pilot programs common in most of the world,” said Kathy Calvin, CEO of the United Nations Foundation, in a press release. “This report provides the data that can help accelerate the strategic use and evaluation of mobile technologies as mHealth is taken to scale to help meet health needs.”