Evaluation of an Android-based mHealth system for population surveillance in developing countries

Rajput, Zeshan A.; Mbugua, Samuel; Amadi, David; Chepngeno, Viola; Saleem, Jason J.; Anokwa, Yaw; Hartung, Carl; Borriello, Gaetano; Mamlin, Burke W.; Ndege, Samson; Were, Martin Chieng

doi:10.1136/amiajnl-2011-000476

Cited by 121 publications

(103 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Programmers are often faced with device native languages that are very different from widely used programming languages such as web languages (Fraser & Blaya, 2010;Ngabo et al , 2012). As previously seen in other areas of information technology development the use of proprietary software on devices can limit their flexibility to incorporate functionality in data collection (Rajput et al , 2012, Whittaker, 2012.…”

Section: Benefits Of Mhealth and Potential Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Cost-effectiveness studies, at different levels of intervention, consistently suggest a saving per unit of spending over traditional manual data collection and transmission (Handel, 2011;Rajput et al , 2012). Nevertheless, despite the advantages over paper-based data-collection systems, mHealth costs are still substantial (Rajput et al , 2012) and the decrease in overall costs, due to eHealth, is debatable (Schweitzer & Synowiec, 2012).…”

Section: Benefits Of Mhealth and Potential Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nevertheless, despite the advantages over paper-based data-collection systems, mHealth costs are still substantial (Rajput et al , 2012) and the decrease in overall costs, due to eHealth, is debatable (Schweitzer & Synowiec, 2012). There is little research into the economic impact of such investments in lower and middle-income countries (Schweitzer & Synowiec, 2012).…”

Section: Benefits Of Mhealth and Potential Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Innovations in mHealth can conceivably change how data are used in health programs, leading to faster and decentralized decision-making and better reallocation of resources (Handel, 2011). Increased efficiency in disease monitoring and evaluation by community health workers (CHW) are also reported in resource-constrained environments (Wu & Raghupathi, 2012) (Leon et al , 2012) (Rajput et al , 2012). At this level mHealth can help health systems to promote equality and reduce disparities.…”

Section: Benefits Of Mhealth and Potential Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fighting a moving target: Leapfrogging to new information systems for malaria vector monitoring and control

Bragança

Sousa

Charlwood

2014

Preprint

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In order to adapt control efforts to the moving target of malaria, new ways of rapidly processing and using data are required to produce usable information. Portable electronic devices with software applications, collectively known as mHealth, are increasingly used to assist health services and manage patient information. Here we describe the development of an mHealth system, using mobile phones, for data collection and analysis in resourceconstrained environments. The system overcomes many of the difficulties presented by other mHealth systems. An asynchronous, Internet connection-independent data collection system, similar to web-based architecture, is proposed. Reporting and advanced statistical and epidemiological analysis, with external data integration, such as environmental datasets, is demonstrated by a pilot assessment of the system in Mozambique. We argue that this technology can provide the entomological and epidemiological information needed for sensible decision-making processes and the development of public health policies regarding malaria control. AbstractIn order to adapt control efforts to the moving target of malaria, new ways of rapidly processing and using data are required to produce usable information. Portable electronic devices with software applications, collectively known as mHealth, are increasingly used to assist health services and manage patient information. Here we describe the development of an mHealth system, using mobile phones, for data collection and analysis in resource-constrained environments.The system overcomes many of the difficulties presented by other mHealth systems. An asynchronous, Internet connection-independent data collection system, similar to web-based architecture, is proposed. Reporting and advanced statistical and epidemiological analysis, with external data integration, such as environmental datasets, is demonstrated by a pilot assessment of the system in Mozambique.We argue that this technology can provide the entomological and epidemiological information needed for sensible decision-making processes and the development of public health policies regarding malaria control.

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Section: Benefits Of Mhealth and Potential Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Benefits Of Mhealth and Potential Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Benefits Of Mhealth and Potential Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Benefits Of Mhealth and Potential Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Fighting a moving target: Leapfrogging to new information systems for malaria vector monitoring and control

Bragança

Sousa

Charlwood

2014

Preprint

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“…Even though there is much innovation on hardware devices [5,6], building software application for collecting e-Health data remains a challenge to information system developers [7][8][9]. Many health system software applications are often developed without specifying how they will interact with existing or future health information systems [2,5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Integrated Model for e-Health Data Collection and Sharing under Distributed Environments in Tanzania

Ndume¹,

Nkansah-Gyekye²,

Ko³

2014

IJCA

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This paper reports on a research aimed at developing an electronic data collection and integration tool for heterogeneous data. The article reports on modeling of a generic tool for collecting e-Health data using relational database. It also explores a methodology of collecting Verbal Autopsy data using Mobile devices. The V-Model approach was deployed in developing the Dynamic Link Library. The document engineering approach was adopted to analyze both the property and conceptual model of the information context of the forms. The skipping pattern algorithm was developed and sixteen mapping controls were designed to handle any data format in the Dynamic link library. The model was prototyped using Verbal Autopsy forms. The model is found to be useful in collecting e-Health data using mobile devices. The design of the Dynamic Link Library was loosely coupled to allow adaptation to others digital data collection in biomedical field. In addition, sixteen control classes in the Dynamic Link Library were able to handle more than 250 variables in a Verbal Autopsy form.

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Effectiveness of tablet computers in spatial data collection and surveys in rural Tanzania

Mwita

Pearson

Zwickle

2019

E J Info Sys Dev Countries

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Worldwide, there is increasing application of tablet computers and other portable electronic devices in research. Effectiveness of these devices as data collection tools is widely appreciated, but several challenges exist when used in remote/rural settings. A household survey and spatial data collection were undertaken using tablet computers in rural Tanzania. Over 5 days in the study village of Naitolia, 12 enumerators visited 170 households completing 154 household surveys and 156 women's surveys while simultaneously collecting spatial data on wet/dry season water sources for 92 households using the tablets. Power supply, internet connectivity, and app faults were among the primary challenges that require attention to facilitate efficient use of tablets to collect data in remote areas. Lessons learnt include the importance of alternative energy (eg, solar energy) for charging, carrying hard copies of survey instruments as a backup, and ensuring that newly developed apps have been thoroughly field tested.

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Evaluation of an Android-based mHealth system for population surveillance in developing countries

Abstract: A viable, cost-effective solution at scale has been developed and implemented for collecting electronic data during household visits in a resource-constrained setting.

Cited by 121 publications

References 8 publications

Fighting a moving target: Leapfrogging to new information systems for malaria vector monitoring and control

Fighting a moving target: Leapfrogging to new information systems for malaria vector monitoring and control

The Integrated Model for e-Health Data Collection and Sharing under Distributed Environments in Tanzania

Effectiveness of tablet computers in spatial data collection and surveys in rural Tanzania

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