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CONNECTTHEWORLD<br />
UNLOCKING THEPOTENTIALOFmHealth<br />
TO IMPROVEGLOBALHEALTHCARE<br />
NgKwanHoong(DepartmentofBiomedicalImaging,FacultyofMedicine,UniversityofMalaya),<br />
GohPik-Pin(ClinicalResearchCentre,MinistryofHealth,Malaysia),LeeKengYee(Clinical<br />
ResearchCentre,MinistryofHealth,Malaysia)<br />
Theincreasinglywidespreaduseofmobiletechnologiesandthedevelopmentofinnovative<br />
mobileapplicationsforhealthserviceshasspawnedanewcomponentofeHealth,caled“mHealth”,<br />
takingtheuseofInformationandCommunicationTechnologies(ICT)forhealthagiantstepforward.<br />
AccordingtotheWHO GlobalObservatoryforeHealth(GOe),mHealthormobilehealthisdefinedas<br />
medicalandpublichealthpracticesupportedbymobiledevices,suchasmobilephones,patient<br />
monitoring devices,and otherwireless device thatutilises mHealth applications forcolecting<br />
communityandclinicalhealthdata;deliveringhealthcareinformationtopractitioners,researchersand<br />
patients;providereal-timemonitoringofpatientvitalsigns;aswelasdirectprovisionofpatientcare.<br />
AccordingtotheInternationalTelecommunicationUnion(ITU),3.2bilionpeoplearenow online,<br />
representing43.4% oftheglobalpopulation,whilemobile-celularsubscriptionshavereachedalmost<br />
7.1bilionworldwide,withover95% oftheglobalpopulationnowcoveredbyamobile-celularsignal.<br />
Inmanydevelopedcountries,mobilenetworkcoverageisalmostubiquitous.However,developing<br />
countriesarenotfarbehind,wherethemobileinfrastructureprovidessignificantlyhigherpenetrationof<br />
the population compared to fixed telecommunication networks,enabling betercommunication<br />
services,eveninremoteareas.Inmanylow-andmiddle-incomecountries,thepenetrationrateof<br />
mobilenetworkssurpassesotherinfrastructuressuchaspavedroadsandelectricitywhilein some<br />
developingcountries,mobilenetworksaretheonlyICTinfrastructureandmobilehandsetsaretheonly<br />
general-purposecomputersavailable.<br />
Theincreasingdevelopmentofthesenetworksofershigherdatatransmissionspeedalongside<br />
cheaperandmorepowerfulhandsets,thustransformingthewayhealthservicesandinformationare<br />
accessed,delivered,andmanaged.Thelowcostofmobilephonesmeansthatmobiletechnologyis<br />
abletoreachfurtherintotheremotestcornersthananyothertechnology.Asthedigitaldividehasbeen<br />
recognisedasoneofthefactorsleadingtounequaldistributionandprovisionofhealthcare,thegrowth<br />
ofmobiletechnologiescanpotentialyreducethisdisparity.<br />
Figure1Internetuserperpopulation(2016)worldwide. Figure2.Penetrationratesofmobilecommunication<br />
deviceworldwide(2016).<br />
7<br />
htps:/resfom.um.edu.my<br />
Isue1Year20<strong>17</strong>
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