This Cochrane Review is based on 19 studies (only 3 of which were in LMICs). Published in 2020, it looks specifically at the use of mobile phones to promote communication and management of care between healthcare professionals
https://www.cochrane.org/CD012927/EPOC_using-mobile-technologies-promote...
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'Many healthcare workers work alone or have little access to colleagues and specialists. This is a common problem for healthcare workers in rural areas or low-income countries. One possible solution to this problem is to offer healthcare workers advice and support through mobile technologies'
'We aimed to find out if healthcare workers using mHealth services through their mobile phones or other mobile devices to communicate with other healthcare workers provide quicker access to healthcare, and improve patient health outcomes.'
'Key messages: Mobile technologies probably slightly decrease the time to deliver health care, as well as the number of face-to-face appointments, when compared with usual care, and probably increase the number of people receiving clinical examinations for some conditions, including an eye exam for people with diabetes. Mobile technologies may have little or no impact on healthcare workers' and participants' satisfaction, health status or well-being.'
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Best wishes, Neil
Joint Coordinator, HIFA mHEALTH-INNOVATE
https://www.hifa.org/dgroups-rss/mhealth-innovate-1-what-can-we-learn-he...
Neil Pakenham-Walsh, Global Coordinator HIFA, www.hifa.org neil@hifa.org
Global Healthcare Information Network: Working in official relations with WHO
