title: The impact of mHealth interventions on health systems: a systematic review protocol.
abstract: Mobile health (mHealth) has been described as a health enabling tool that impacts positively on the health system in terms of improved access, quality and cost of health care. The proposed systematic review will examine the impact of mHealth on health systems by assessing access, quality and cost of health care as indicators.
  
  
  
  The systematic review will include literature from various sources including published and unpublished/grey literature. The databases to be searched include: PubMed, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, NHS Health Technology Assessment Database and Web of Science. The reference lists of studies will be screened and conference proceedings searched for additional eligible reports. Literature to be included will have mHealth as the primary intervention. Two authors will independently screen the search output, select studies and extract data; discrepancies will be resolved by consensus and discussion with the assistance of the third author.
  
  
  
  The systematic review will inform policy makers, investors, health professionals, technologists and engineers about the impact of mHealth in strengthening the health system. In particular, it will focus on three metrics to determine whether mHealth strengthens the health system, namely quality of, access to and cost of health care services. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42015026070.
authors.affiliation: Division of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Anzio Road, Observatory, Cape Town, 7925, South Africa. jill.fortuinabrahams@uct.ac.za.
authors.forename: Jill
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-1205-2601
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fortuin
authors.affiliation: Division of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Anzio Road, Observatory, Cape Town, 7925, South Africa.
authors.forename: Faatiema
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Salie
authors.affiliation: Vaccines for Africa Initiative, Institute for Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Anzio Road, Observatory, Cape Town, 7925, South Africa.|Division of Medical Microbiology, Department of Clinical Laboratory Services, University of Cape Town, Anzio Road, Observatory, Cape Town, 7925, South Africa.
authors.forename: Leila H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Abdullahi
authors.affiliation: Division of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Anzio Road, Observatory, Cape Town, 7925, South Africa.
authors.forename: Tania S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Douglas
mesh_terms: D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000191:economics*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000191:economics; D000078202:Systematic Reviews as Topic; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: Access; Cost; Health service; Quality; mHealth