Mobile Health apps, if they are designed well and handle information securely between end-user and cloud server, can make a positive social impact. Abhi Ingle, VP of sales in advanced mobility solutions at AT&T, has some evidence to prove it.

Speaking at yesterday’s Mobile Health session – “From deployment to a sustainable business model” – Ingle said that an application offered by AT&T to monitor and manage diabetes for the US population has been well received. “Of the people accessing it, 80 percent have sustained their usage after 8 months,” he said. “That is an unprecedented high level.”

One of the barriers to mHealth adoption, argued Ingle, is app fragmentation. “There has been a failure in getting apps that can net and engage with people who use them,” he said.

The diabetes app from AT&T resides on the operator’s open source platform, available for all developers. Sensors pick up health information and send it to the server. According to the information received, various alerts and coaching tips are delivered to the user’s phone. If measurements exceed pre-determined thresholds, a doctor referral is triggered. “Diabetes is tailor-made for a mobile app as constant monitoring is required,” said Ingle.

Europe’s Renewal Health Project (RHP), partly funded by the European Commission, is undertaking large-scale pilots across nine countries to assess the impact of mobile health systems on personal care. One pilot involves the ‘Few Touch Application’, designed for diabetes monitoring and management. The phone converts blood sugar readings, received via Bluetooth, into graphical form. Information is also sent to a cloud-based server for assessment.
 
While the pilot is generating positive feedback from users overall, it is not without some problems. “Some pilot users have found it difficult to use the touch-screen icons, and coordination with GPs is still a challenge,” said Astrid Grottland, project manager at RHP Norway. “However, if we do determine that mobile diabetes care can have a positive impact, the next question is who will pay for it?”

According to a study published this week during the congress there are more than 500 million healthcare projects around the world. The study was commissioned by the Telenor Group and carried out by the Boston Consulting Group. It was entitled– “Socio-economic impact of mHealth”.

The study makes a number of claims for what mobile health can achieve. For instance, it says costs in elderly care can be reduced by 25 percent while maternal and perinatal mortality can be cut by 30 percent.  Twice as many rural patients can be reached per doctor through mobile technology says the study. And tuberculosis treatment compliance can be improved by 30-70 percent, it said.