Mobile health for non-communicable diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review of the literature and strategic framework for research

Globalization and Health

Eric J Velazquez¹  Martin Were²  Anne Kithei⁵  Lavanya Vasudevan³  Rajesh Vedanthan⁴  Gerald S Bloomfield¹ 

[1] Duke Global Health Institute, Trent Drive, Durham, North Carolina 27705, USA;USAID-Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH) Partnership, PO Box 4606, Nandi Road, Eldoret, Kenya;Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA;Zena and Michael A. Wiener Cardiovascular Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1030, New York City, NY 10029, USA;School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Moi University, Nandi Road, Box 2600–30100, Eldoret, Kenya

关键词: Systematic review;    Sub-Saharan Africa;    Non-communicable disease;    Mobile health;   

Others  :  800853
DOI  :  10.1186/1744-8603-10-49

 received in 2014-02-18, accepted in 2014-05-30,  发布年份 2014

【 摘 要 】

Background

Mobile health (mHealth) approaches for non-communicable disease (NCD) care seem particularly applicable to sub-Saharan Africa given the penetration of mobile phones in the region. The evidence to support its implementation has not been critically reviewed.

Methods

We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Clinical Trials, a number of other databases, and grey literature for studies reported between 1992 and 2012 published in English or with an English abstract available. We extracted data using a standard form in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.

Results

Our search yielded 475 citations of which eleven were reviewed in full after applying exclusion criteria. Five of those studies met the inclusion criteria of using a mobile phone for non-communicable disease care in sub-Saharan Africa. Most studies lacked comparator arms, clinical endpoints, or were of short duration. mHealth for NCDs in sub-Saharan Africa appears feasible for follow-up and retention of patients, can support peer support networks, and uses a variety of mHealth modalities. Whether mHealth is associated with any adverse effect has not been systematically studied. Only a small number of mHealth strategies for NCDs have been studied in sub-Saharan Africa.

Conclusions

There is insufficient evidence to support the effectiveness of mHealth for NCD care in sub-Saharan Africa. We present a framework for cataloging evidence on mHealth strategies that incorporates health system challenges and stages of NCD care. This framework can guide approaches to fill evidence gaps in this area. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42014007527.

【 授权许可】

   
2014 Bloomfield et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

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