Proving that mobile can revolutionise healthcare

Friday, August 9, 2013

A mobile health initiative now being expanded across numerous rural clinics in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province underlines the positive impact mobile can have on healthcare.

The initiative, the Mobile Health Information System (MHIS), is a collaborative effort that uses mobile technology to support the work of rural health professionals. The pilot project was rolled out in two phases, and now provides health workers in community health centres, tertiary and district hospitalswith an Internet-capable, commercially available smart phone pre-loaded with a locally-relevant, reliable clinical library containing about 4,000 pages of content. The Mobile Health Library includes South African treatment guidelines, drug formularies, diagnostic tools, and other evidence-based content. Information is downloaded using 3G connectivity from the ECDOH mobile library portal to mobile devices.

Nurses and doctors in three hospital complexes – East London, Mthatha and Port Elizabeth, five district hospitals and ten rural community health centres are already using the MHIS for accessing clinical and public health information at the point of care, and the programme is expected to be significantly expanded across the province over the next two years.

Nurses and doctors using the content report that it helps them to deliver improved patient care.

Source: BizTechAfrica (link opens in a new window)

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Health Care