The Fight Against HIV/AIDS Goes Mobile
Most people use their mobile phones for communicating, gaming, and surfing the Web. But thanks to a program called “Phones-for-Health,” mobile phones are now becoming tools for collecting critical information on HIV/AIDS in highly impacted countries.
Phones-for-Health is a public-private partnership valued at $10 million led by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), in partnership with the GSM Association Development Fund, Motorola, MTN, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Foundation, and other private-sector entities. The partnership works closely with Ministries of Health and global health organizations to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of health management and information systems for health services. The partnership is currently active in Tanzania and Kenya.
Mobile phone services are widely used in Tanzania and Kenya in both rural and urban areas. CDC Foundation and the Ministries of Health work with local and international technology partners to develop health information systems that allow the transmission of data using the cell phone technology. These systems enable the timely and secure transfer of programmatic, logistical, surveillance, and other health-related data.
A Direct Line to Workers in the Field
In the developing world, fixed-line Internet connections are rare, as paper forms are still the primary way of recording health data. But now, in countries like Tanzania, 97% of the population reports that they can access a mobile phone. Phones-for-Health leverages that existing mobile phone infrastructure so partner countries can extend the reach of their health information networks to remote areas. Mobile phones use software to relay patient data to a central computer system, allowing health workers and policymakers to instantly access the data.
- The system allows health workers to report data from the field using their mobile phones, as well as PCs and PDAs.
- Once entered, the data is mapped and analyzed by the system, and made immediately available to health authorities via the web.
- The system also supports SMS alerts and notification as tools for communication and coordination with field staff.
Phones-for-Health is proving to be a cost-effective means for data collection and information dissemination—both critical to facilitating rapid interventions for at-risk patients through medication and education programs. It is also a platform easily expanded to surveillance of other diseases, such as malaria and avian influenza. Country-level Ministries of Health and Social Welfare are exploring ways to expand the utility of the mobile platform to enhance data reporting and evidence-based decision-making.
