Viewpoint: The Promise of Digital Health in LMICs
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Having started my career as an emergency physician in countries across Africa — from Angola and Mozambique, to the Sudan and the Caucasus — I was regularly faced with long and often dangerous journeys to reach my patients. I would fly in by plane and then travel on my bike, crossing rivers — it was the only way they could receive the treatment and medical care they needed. Often I couldn’t stay for long, or sometimes I came too late.
At that time, I couldn’t have imagined the possibility of a mobile phone connecting me directly to the patients in those hard-to-reach areas, or allowing me to coach and advise the community health workers so that patients could receive care where and when they needed it.
Expanding patient reach, improving quality of care
Today’s connectivity and digital health technologies are truly revolutionizing the way health care is delivered in low- and middle-income settings.
Not only can digital health significantly expand patient reach and make health services more cost-efficient, it can also greatly improve the quality of care delivered by local health services.
Source: Devex (link opens in a new window)
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