Mobile technologies to strengthen diagnostics of infectious diseases in resource-limited settings
Year: 2014
Type: article
Abstract: Background: Infrastructural inefficiencies are a leading reason infectious diseases retain their endemic status in many resource-limited settings. Information and communications technologies (ICT), especially mobile technologies (mHealth), have great promise in such settings, where they simultaneously present the highest potential in terms of enabling technology and have the highest pertinence for improving weak healthcare systems.mHealth has been used for large-scale disease surveillance, remote advice for practitioners, treatment compliance, and supply chain management in infectious disease programmes, but has found very limited adoption for diagnostics. Methods & Materials: We studied the landscapes of mHealth in the diagnostics of three major infectious diseases: HIV, TB and malaria. From January to July 2013, we analysed reports by global healthcare actors such as the WHO, WB and Stop TB Partnership, peer-reviewed publications related to ICT and healthcare, and other references sourced from these publications. The search was for English language publications only, leading to potential reporting bias. Taking a new technology-centred approach, we conceptualise mHealth architectures as three constituent elements: front-end (user device), back-end (IT infrastructure) and controller which links the two. Results: mHealth initiatives have targeted several components of the diagnostics pathway: Early case-detection, diagnosis and referral; Adherence to diagnostics protocols during consultations; Physical and digital transport of samples to diagnostics centres; Protocol adherence at the diagnostics hubs; Integration of results upstream into patient records and disease surveillance systems; Rapid communication of results downstream to the health facilities and patients. Recent efforts take a more holistic approach including efforts at automatic reporting of results from diagnostics centres to points of care, and integration of results into patient records. Some efforts seek to integrate ICT right into the diagnostics machines or rapid diagnostics tests. Conclusion: ICT has significant potential to become a major tool in improving the diagnostics processes of infectious diseases, though real-world implementations are severely lacking as of now. Our technology-oriented approach allows us to understand underlying features of ‘successful’ mHealth endeavours and delineate a panel to choose from for future implementations. This panel will further evolve as broadband networks spread, mobile devices have reduced cost-per-feature, and applications leverage increased computational capacities of devices for in situ processing.
Authors: B. Godara, C. Gray, H. Albert
Institution: FIND
Language: English
Subfield: General Health Professions
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,900
OpenAlex ID: W2132038327