title: Engaging Patients through Mobile Phones: Demonstrator Services, Success Factors, and Future Opportunities in Low and Middle-income Countries.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Evolving technology and infrastructure can benefit patients even in the poorest countries through mobile health (mHealth). Yet, what makes mobile-phone-based services succeed in low and middle-income countries (LMIC) and what opportunities does the future hold that still need to be studied. We showcase demonstrator services that leverage mobile phones in the hands of patients to promote health and facilitate health care.
  
  
  METHODS
  We surveyed the recent biomedical literature for demonstrator services that illustrate well-considered examples of mobile phone interventions for consumer health. We draw upon those examples to discuss enabling factors, scalability, reach, and potential of mHealth as well as obstacles in LMIC.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 227 articles returned by a PubMed search, we identified 55 articles that describe services targeting health consumers equipped with mobile phones. From those articles, we showcase 19 as demonstrator services across clinical care, prevention, infectious diseases, and population health. Services range from education, reminders, reporting, and peer support, to epidemiologic reporting, and care management with phone communication and messages. Key achievements include timely adherence to treatment and appointments, clinical effectiveness of treatment reminders, increased vaccination coverage and uptake of screening, and capacity for efficient disease surveillance. We discuss methodologies of delivery and evaluation of mobile-phone-based mHealth in LMIC, including service design, social context, and environmental factors to success.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Demonstrated promises using mobile phones in the poorest countries encourage a future in which IMIA takes a lead role in leveraging mHealth for citizen empowerment through Consumer Health Informatics.
authors.affiliation: Dr. Thomas Wetter, Institute of Medical Biometry and Informatics, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 305, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany, Tel: +49 6221 56 7490, Fax: +49 6221 56 4997, E-mail: thomas.wetter@urz.uni-hd.de.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hartzler
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wetter
mesh_terms: D040421:Cell Phone; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000379:methods; D003906:Developing Countries; D006801:Humans; D017216:Telemedicine
keywords: Consumer Health Informatics; low and middleincome countries (LMIC); mobile health