Abstract
mHealth is the use of mobile and wireless technologies to support the achievement of health objectives. e rapid growth in access to mobile phones and networks in Africa has created opportunities for health programs and systems to harness these technologies to positively impact the health of Africans. mHealth programs have the potential to contribute to innovative solutions to health system challenges including: (1) disparities in access to health services; (2) inadequacies of health infrastructure; (3) limited human resources for health; (4) cost to the individual of accessing health services; and (5) challenges in health financing.
The United States Agency for International Development’s Africa Bureau project, African Strategies for Health (ASH) has produced ve volumes of the mHealth Compendium to help USAID missions, governments, and health implementing organizations access information on a range of mHealth example programs. mHealth Compendium Volumes 1-5 document over 150 case studies of mHealth programs and applications being implemented mainly throughout Africa, but also in other regions of the world. e compendium vol- umes o er project descriptions, publication references, and contact information for making further inquiries.
mHealth Compendiums Volumes 1–5 include two-page case studies of current or closed mHealth applications or programs with an introduction to the health area or problem; a description of the mHealth intervention; a snapshot of important results or evaluation findings; lessons learned; and conclusion. In addition, each case study includes a summary of the geographic coverage, implementation partners, donor name(s) and contact(s), as well as contact information for the implementing partner.
As the mHealth landscape has evolved and more programs and countries look to establish scaled, sustainable programs utilizing digital technology, the need for in-depth profiles of mHealth interventions or programs which have successfully grown in scale has increased. This Special Edition 2016: Reaching Scale was developed to provide greater detail on the development and experience of mHealth programs which have successfully grown in scale. The ten profiles featured in this volume were submitted by the programs. ey were selected following a survey of current intervention status sent to previously featured programs, with an intention to select a range of intervention types, locations, and partner organizationsns. This list is not exhaustive of scaled mHealth programs.
Profiles of programs featured in the mHealth compendiums can also be accessed on ASH’s online mHealth Database. e database facilitates a quick and targeted search for applications based on health area, application type, and location. The com- pendiums, database, and additional digital health resources can be downloaded at www.africanstrategies4health.org.