Taking mHealth Forward: Examining the Core Characteristics

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Teaniese Latham Davis, Morehouse College; Ralph Diclemente, Emory University; Michael Prietula, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2016
• Publisher: JMIR Publications
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © Teaniese Latham Davis, Ralph DiClemente, Michael Prietula.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/mhealth.5659
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: JMIR mHealth and uHealth
• ISSN: 2291-5222
• Volume: 4
• Issue: 3
• Start Page: e97
• End Page: e97
• Grant/Funding Information: This work was funded in part by a grant from Emory University’s Global Health Institute and the Goizueta Business School Summer Research Fund at Emory University.
• Keywords: telehealth; health technology; mHealth; eHealth; text messaging; mobile health; health policy; public health informatics
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Public Health; Health Sciences, General

Abstract

The emergence of mobile health (mHealth) offers unique and varied opportunities to address some of the most difficult problems of health. Some of the most promising and active efforts of mHealth involve the engagement of mobile phone technology. As this technology has spread and as this technology is still evolving, we begin a conversation about the core characteristics of mHealth relevant to any mobile phone platform. We assert that the relevance of these characteristics to mHealth will endure as the technology advances, so an understanding of these characteristics is essential to the design, implementation, and adoption of mHealth-based solutions. The core characteristics we discuss are (1) the penetration or adoption into populations, (2) the availability and form of apps, (3) the availability and form of wireless broadband access to the Internet, and (4) the tethering of the device to individuals. These collectively act to both enable and constrain the provision of population health in general, as well as personalized and precision individual health in particular.