ABSTRACT
mHealth solutions are enabled by the convergence of four pervasive technologies—unobtrusive sensing, wireless communication, ubiquitous computing and social networking. The key opportunities for mHealth are enhancing quality, improving convenience, extending reach and reducing the cost of healthcare. mHealth solutions can also be used for therapy applications—often in the form of communicating a course of action—and monitoring adherence quality and therapeutic impact. mHealth is expected to improve convenience for patients and caregivers by enabling pervasive access. An increasing shortage of clinicians is a serious concern in healthcare; pervasive connectivity resulting from mHealth solutions will allow clinicians to be connected to patients anytime, anywhere. mHealth is expected to extend the reach of care by enabling possibilities in diagnosis, therapy and monitoring at a distance and/or in places otherwise difficult to reach. An example of effective use of an mHealth solution at a distance is high-risk pregnancy monitoring.
