Mobile Health and Chronic Disease Management: Moving Towards a Holistic Approach

Mobile technologies are anticipated to offer cost effective and efficient information management solutions for the chronic care sector. The increasing incidence of chronic diseases is leading to severe pressure on healthcare services struggling to meet increased demand. Although mobile technical solutions are being developed, there is little understanding of the issues affecting acceptability and sustainability of mobile health initiatives and the requirements for the development of holistic care services. This research uses a qualitative study to determine the potential for implementation of m-health across the spectrum of chronic disease care and to identify key factors affecting the stakeholders. While study participants paint an optimistic future for mhealth, there remain several challenges before a holistic approach can be achieved, not least the standardisation and integration of information across the whole health sector.