mHealth Resources to Strengthen Health Programs

This article describes a suite of resources that provides implementation guidance for mHealth initiatives, particularly in less developed countries. The suite includes an "eLearning course, online guide, evidence database, and a High-Impact Practices brief, along with the mHealth Working Group and website."

 1) "This self-directed course, mHealth Basics: Introduction to Mobile Technology for Health, explains the potential uses, benefits, and limitations of mHealth. It also highlights some existing applications, draws some preliminary conclusions from the evidence, and shares recommended best practices for mHealth program planning, design, monitoring and evaluation, scale up, and sustainability. It takes about 3 hours to complete the course." The online eLearning course is part of USAID's Global Health eLearning Center.

2) "The mHealth Planning Guide: Key Considerations for Integrating Mobile Technology into Health Programs is an online guide to help global health practitioners implement mHealth solutions in health programs in low-resource settings. The Guide is an interactive, electronic resource that outlines key considerations and resources for planning an mHealth intervention, from concept development and technology design to implementation. Each section provides an overview of key concepts, a summary checklist of considerations, relevant examples, and recommended tools and resources."

3) "The mHealth Evidence Database is designed to bring together published reports and articles on mHealth effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and program efficiency. This collection of resources makes it easier for researchers, program managers, funders, and other key decision-makers to quickly get up to speed on the current state-of-the-art. It includes peer-reviewed and grey literature from high-, middle-, and low-resource settings. Materials are classified using a new mHealth Evidence Taxonomy, developed in coordination with the World Health Organization, and are easily filtered and searched to facilitate the identification of evidence-based, high-impact mHealth practices."

4) mHealth Working Group and website, from the mHealth Working Group. Started in 2009, it has grown into an international community of over 1,500 members representing more than 450 organizations in 70 countries. "The group's mission is to frame mobile technology within a larger global health strategy and to build capacity, encourage collaboration, and share knowledge. Monthly meetings are held in Washington, DC, [United States] with invited speakers. Virtual participation in the meetings is also an option. The group's website contains presentations from the monthly meetings along with other resources."