The potential and impact of mobile health, research and training in Peru

Abstract

In the past decade, mobile communication services such as cell phones and other types
 of hand-held devices have become relatively cheap, affordable and accessible, especially
 in developing countries, including Peru. The applications of mobile devices in health, or
 mHealth, are surfacing and have the potential to improve the delivery and quality of
 health by eliminating the distance barriers; permitting the availability and retrieval of data
 in a timely manner; educating the public on prevention; supporting the management of
 diseases, and promoting patient empowerment to the population, including those that are
 socially stigmatized.
 Equally important, in conjunction with technology, training is another important factor
 to build a critical mass of professionals to develop and evaluate mHealth strategies. In
 order to take advantage of the technology at hand, health professionals must be able to
 know how to use these tools that are available to them.
 The purpose of the study is to explore the research and training, and mHealth strategies
 being developed in Peru. The study has the following aims:
 • To examine the process, progress and lessons learned of a) the mobile health
 initiatives of Peru through the lens of the Cell-POS project, and b) the training
 initiatives on mHealth in Peru through the lens of the QUIPU project;
 • To discover how people with HIV can achieve patient empowerment and
 involvement in managing their own health through the use of cell phones.
 For the mobile health project (Cell-POS) both quantitative and qualitative data
 collection was gathered, which resulted in an in-depth research analysis evaluating the
 efforts and initiatives of mHealth solutions in Peru, with a focus on how the use of
 mobile technology can help people with HIV feel empowered. In addition, it was
 explored how mobile health is being positioned in the area of training through the lens of
 the QUIPU project. A two-day expert meeting which took place on March 26 and March
 27, 2010 in Lima, Peru resulted in insightful discussions of the problems and necessities
 regarding training in Biomedical and Health Informatics; specific issues about the
 curricula and the level of multidisciplinary were also discussed. Through the QUIPU
 project it was found that the challenges and needs are very similar across Latin America;
 however, through collaboration and partnerships, global health initiatives are on a rise.
 The Cell-POS project examined the feasibility, acceptability, perceived ease of use, and
 usefulness towards mHealth in relation with patient empowerment. The primary finding
 was that participants were satisfied and accepted the Cell-POS platform quickly and
 without difficulty. After six months of use, the results demonstrated that the participants
 perceived that the messages were clear, effective, and understandable and it was easy to
 incorporate the Cell-POS system to their daily activities. Most participants perceived that
 Cell-POS enhanced their knowledge related to HIV treatment and improved their ability
 to take their medications correctly and on time.
 Through proper planning, research initiatives and collaborative work, a successful
 project can be achieved. Peru has great potential, which is already starting to show
 through the research and work that is currently taken place. This study examines selected
 mHealth initiatives in the context of research and training of mHealth in Peru.

Graduate