A Mobile health architecture to provide home-based care using text messaging

Abstract

Partial fulfillment for award of the degree of Master of Science in Information Technology.The increasing miniaturization of mobile devices marks an important opportunity for the next generation delivery of health care. Mobile health (mHealth), existing at the nexus health and technology provides a singular opportunity to take health where it is needed the most. Having had nearly mainstream adoption, this may explain the reason why the developing world is in tandem with the set Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Developing countries like Kenya are still lagging behind in meeting the same health-related goals, yet they continue to report successful stories of mobile technology growth and adoption but no major usage of the same to deliver healthcare. This research explores the use of mobile phones in health and proposes an architecture for the use of Short Message Service (SMS) messaging in the provision of primary home-based care. The architecture is implemented by analysing, designing and testing a primary health-care mHealth application that can be used to support medication of HIV/AIDS patients to result in better and more efficient adherence to the treatment regimen. In conclusion some key design, business and technical requirements that need to be considered are suggested and we further propose a relationship of stakeholders that will ensure the successful adoption and implementation of mHealth applications in Kenya