Vital Wave ConsultingField Offices

Latin AmericaRio de Janeiro,Brazil

San Jose,Costa Rica

Mexico City,Mexico

AsiaBhopal, India

Beijing, China

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Eastern EuropeTallinn,Estonia

AfricaCairo,Egypt

Johannesburg,South Africa

Lagos,Nigeria

United States

Palo Alto, California (Headquarters)

Using text messages for Using text messages for healthcare in developing healthcare in developing

countries countries User Experience Panel and DiscussionUser Experience Panel and Discussion

September 18, 2009

Karen Coppock VP of Consulting Services

© 2009 Vital Wave ConsultingTM

Proprietary and Confidential: Do not copy or distribute.

Mobile Health (mHealth) Defined

Mobile Services(mServices)

Health Services

mHealth

mHealth is a subset of health services and mServices such as mMoney and mEducation

Photo: UN, UN Foundation, and Praekelt Foundation

1

© 2009 Vital Wave ConsultingTM

Proprietary and Confidential: Do not copy or distribute.

Technology in mHealth ApplicationsSimpler, broadly accessible SMS technology prevails

SMS/MMSSMS and MMS are the least expensive and most ubiquitous technologies in developing countries. Though it ranks second in program count, SMS-based projects are among the longest lasting and most prominent mHealth examples

(more than 50% are active)

Data (typically PDAs)Data collection and transmission using mobile-enabled PDAs is used primarily by health workers for the collection and transmission of health indicators

(approx. 2/3 in research stage)

VoiceThe relatively high cost of voice calls, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, limits the feasibility of large-scale mHealth applications, though these show promise in lower cost regions such as South Asia. Voice applications are not constrained by low literacy rates

Programs by Technology Type

2

175

33

10

mHealth applications intended to reach a mass consumer audience tend to rely on simple, ubiquitous formats like SMS,

while those for use by health workers often use more advanced technologies

Other (sensors, GPS, etc)More advanced technologies allow for sophisticated diagnostic and logistical applications, but cost and hardware specifications limit their utility

(approx. 2/3 in research stage)

© 2009 Vital Wave ConsultingTM

Proprietary and Confidential: Do not copy or distribute.

Two-Way Data

(not real-time)

Clinical Services

(real-time)

One-Way Data

(not real-time)

• Public awareness, BCC campaigns

• Emergency advisories• Regimen adherence

• Disease, emergency tracking• Client record access• Vaccination monitoring• Health information access

• Remote health clinics• Remote emergency

health consultation• Training

Two-Way Data

(not real-time)

Clinical Services

(real-time)

One-Way Data

(not real-time)

• Public awareness, BCC campaigns

• Emergency advisories• Regimen adherence

• Disease, emergency tracking• Client record access• Vaccination monitoring• Health information access

• Remote health clinics• Remote emergency

health consultation• Training

Technology in mHealth ApplicationsAdvanced technology brings with it greater capacity, costs

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The technology used for mHealth applications should align with the needs of the program it is designed to support. As applications move from one-way data towards clinical services,

the technical capabilities increase, but so do cost and training requirements

Technical capability

Trainingrequired

Cost

© 2009 Vital Wave ConsultingTM

Proprietary and Confidential: Do not copy or distribute.

Disease Tracking & Education

Impact• 30+ diseases tracked real-time, data for 7 sent to WHO

• Approaching sustainability (charge each patient $0.40 per visit)

• 15,000 patients treated a year, majority are female

Case StudyUM Healthcare: Healthcare for Rural Pakistan

Health ObjectiveProvide subsidized and affordable healthcare services to the rural communities in Pakistan.

CountryPakistan

Techniques UsedMultiple-tools: SMS to register patients, update /access patient records and track and learn about diseases, web-based apps, videoconferencing, face-to-face visits and paper and pen!

PartnersAssociation of Pakistani Physicians in North America (APPNA), USAID, Information Society Innovation Fund, HEC and NUSTPhoto: UM Healthcare Trust

4

© 2009 Vital Wave ConsultingTM

Proprietary and Confidential: Do not copy or distribute.

• Business model required: − SMS is inexpensive, but not free− SMB-based mHealth programs

rely predominantly on (financial & in-kind) donations

• Integration with other health systems:

−Programs largely stand-alone, do not feed into health information systems

• Technology & market limitations:• 160 character limit• ~20% of adults are not literate• US market: SMS not widely used

Photo: Vital Wave Consulting

Challenges Obstacles to scaling SMS-based mHealth programs

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Data sources: UNESCO, Vital Wave Consulting

© 2009 Vital Wave ConsultingTM

Proprietary and Confidential: Do not copy or distribute.

mHealth Report

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mHealth for Development: The Opportunity of Mobile Technology for Healthcare in the Developing World:

http://www.vitalwaveconsulting.com/insights/mHealth.htm

http://www.unfoundation.org/global-issues/technology/mobile-health-for-development.html

mHealth for Development: The Opportunity of Mobile Technology for Healthcare in the Developing World:

http://www.vitalwaveconsulting.com/insights/mHealth.htm

http://www.unfoundation.org/global-issues/technology/mobile-health-for-development.html

Vital Wave Consultingwww.vitalwaveconsulting.comTel: (US) 650-964-1316

Contact: karen.coppock@vitalwaveconsulting.com

Vital Wave Consultingwww.vitalwaveconsulting.comTel: (US) 650-964-1316

Contact: karen.coppock@vitalwaveconsulting.com

Thank YouThank You