WorkingGroup/Mobile

A working defintion of Mobile/Wireless ICTs for Health (mobile eHealth) Mobile eHealth is from two words: 1. Mobile and 2. eHealth “Mobile” means the use of ICT such as wireless technologies and devices to support any organisational or individual activities and tasks regardless of your location, position and time. This has made working to be seamless and continuous and has ensured constant communication and coordination between team and organisational members. Wireless technologies such as the ubiquitous GSM/GPRS, satellite and emerging WiFi and WiMax are the common types of technologies for providing connectivity either in mobile or fixed positions. Mobile devices are cellular phone, smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and even tablet PCs and laptops. Mobile devices now have the computing power that is bigger than the capacity of the system on board the first space shuttle and this increases everyday. Wireless networks can also be used with PCs or desktops in hospitals, health posts or health centres.

eHealth on the other hand, as defined by WHO, involves the use of information and communication technologies to support and leverage the health system. This according to WHO are: tele-education; telemedicine; ICTs for health research; and ICT for health services management. These applications cover all aspect of health care delivery process. Readings from WHO can be accessed from here.

Therefore, Mobile/wireless ICTs are just platforms or scaffolds for eHealth applications. The major difference is that it is wireless instead of wired or it is mobile instead of fixed, it is scalability instead of rigidity, it is communication instead of isolation and it is about accessibilty, affordability instead of marginalisation.

The proposed topics for activities are:

1. patient and public health data collection
2. access to health information and teaching material
3. telemedicine, second opinion, teleradiology, teledermatology etc.
4. delivery of specific information (e.g. lab results, patient reminders)

OPEN SOURCE MOBILE SOFTWARE

Here are some links for Open Source mobile software for decelopment of mobile interfaces

1. W3C mobile web source codes (http://www.w3.org/Mobile/) 2. Linux open source source code like CHITIS (http://chits.mudfish.info/HomePage) 3. Ca:sh (http://kaash.sourceforge.net/). 4. Palm OS http://www.mobilefan.net/Palm-OS.nsf/Download-Free/Source-Code-PalmVNC-V1.40-Source-for-PalmOS-3.0-to-5.x