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Linking patients to health using mobile technology

Challenges Entered: 

Innovative uses of health information technology have the potential to improve clinical care and health decision-making in safety net settings.  The personal health record (PHR) is a technology tool that offers an internet-based solution to many healthcare dilemmas including methods to share information, create treatment plans and alert or remind patients how to optimize and understand their health care. However, less "connected" individuals and communities may have only limited Internet interactions; without focused strategies to leverage these powerful new technologies the disparities among on- and-off line Americans will not change. HIV/AIDS occurs among persons on the "other side" of the digital divide who often experience considerable health disparities that impact the quality of healthcare and their health outcomes.   Our project will develop an application that links patients to their health record without requiring constant or personal internet connections.   The proposed solution will provide information to patients via mobile phones, a ubiquitous technology tool, thereby eliminating the access barriers associated with "hardwired" internet connectivity.   San Francisco General Hospital, a leader in AIDS care, developed and deployed a system focused on managing patient information to improve the care of HIV infected persons. Among the patients approximately 81% are men, 17% are women and 2% are transgender.   The racial composition of the patients include: 48% Caucasians; 24% Black; 6% Asian/Pacific Islander; 1% Native American; 19% multi-racial or unstated. There are 25% Hispanic by ethnicity.       Fifty-six percent of the patients are less than 45 years old.   This solution will provide the patients with a timely opportunity to engage their health record and is especially important for persons with inconsistent or without personal internet access.   The information sent to patients on their mobile phone will be culturally correct, linguistically appropriate and sensitive to patients' literacy.   An investment in this solution has the potential to create wide-spread ripple effects generating results that are practical, translatable to other sites (Africa) and other conditions (Diabetes) and result in a substantial impact on reducing disparities in healthcare.

Project Details
Project Assessment
Financial support: 
Project has financial support

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