BackgroundGiven the ubiquity of mobile phones, their use to support healthcare in the Indian context is inevitable. It is however necessary to assess end-user perceptions regarding mobile health interventions especially in the rural Indian context prior to its use in healthcare. This would contextualize the use of mobile phone communication for health to 70% of the country's population that resides in rural India.ObjectivesTo explore the acceptability of delivering healthcare interventions through mobile phones among users in a village in rural Bangalore.MethodsThis was an exploratory study of 488 mobile phone users, residing in a village, near Bangalore city, Karnataka, South India. A pretested, translated, interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain data on mobile phone usage patterns and acceptability of the mobile phone, as a tool for health-related communication. The data is described using basic statistical measures.ResultsThe primary use of mobile phones was to make or receive phone calls (100%). Text messaging (SMS) was used by only 70 (14%) of the respondents. Most of the respondents, 484 (99%), were willing to receive health-related information on their mobile phones and did not consider receiving such information, an intrusion into their personal life. While receiving reminders for drug adherence was acceptable to most 479 (98%) of our respondents, 424 (89%) preferred voice calls alone to other forms of communication. Nearly all were willing to use their mobile phones to communicate with health personnel in emergencies and 367 (75%) were willing to consult a doctor via the phone in an acute illness. Factors such as sex, English literacy, employment status, and presence of chronic disease affected preferences regarding mode and content of communication.ConclusionThe mobile phone, as a tool for receiving health information and supporting healthcare through mHealth interventions was acceptable in the rural Indian context.

Megaloblastic anemia causes macrocytic anemia from ineffective red blood cell production and intramedullary hemolysis. The most common causes are folate (vitamin B 9) defi ciency and cobalamin (vitamin B 12) defi ciency. Megaloblastic anemia can be diagnosed based on characteristic morphologic and laboratory fi ndings. However, other benign and neoplastic diseases need to be considered, particularly in severe cases. Therapy involves treating the underlying cause-eg, with vitamin supplementation in cases of defi ciency, or with discontinuation of a suspected medication. KEY POINTS The hallmark of megaloblastic anemia is macrocytic anemia (mean corpuscular volume > 100 fL), often associated with other cytopenias. Dysplastic features may be present and can be diffi cult to differentiate from myelodysplastic syndrome. Megaloblastic anemia is most commonly caused by folate defi ciency from dietary defi ciency, alcoholism, or malabsorption syndromes or by vitamin B 12 defi ciency, usually due to pernicious anemia. Both vitamin defi ciencies cause hematologic signs and symptoms of anemia; vitamin B 12 defi ciency also causes neurologic symptoms. Oral supplementation is available for both vitamin defi ciencies; intramuscular vitamin B 12 supplementation should be used in cases involving severe neurologic symptoms or gastric or bowel resection.

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