The latest and greatest in mobile technology is on display this week at the Mobile World Congress (and you can see my colleagues’ coverage of that here). But so are the applications of that technology. Health care, education, urban planning and other sectors stand to benefit from mobile technology and a report out Monday from the GSMA and PricewaterhouseCoopers gives a snapshot of how mobile technology could save money, increase opportunities and enhance health and safety in the coming years.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, one million lives could be saved over the next five years with mobile health initiatives that help patients stick to their treatment plans and access information, as well as aid workers in monitoring the available of medication and follow treatment guidelines, according to the report. For example the Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action (MAMA) enables health care workers and pregnant women to share health information via SMS; TxtAlert in South Africa helps HIV patients and healthcare workers comply with Anti Retroviral Therapy programs, cutting missed appointment rates from 27 percent to 4 percent, the report says.
The article can be found at http://gigaom.com/2013/02/25/4-ways-mobile-health-could-save-400b-in-health-costs/
