Commentary: The emperor’s new phone

Low cost mobile phones have unquestionably revolutionised access to information and communication worldwide. Mobile health (m-health)—the application of mobile technology in healthcare and health promotion—can create unique opportunities for citizen participation in identifying health priorities and solutions and can enable collaboration between individuals, researchers, and health authorities in real time to inform (or misinform) the public.

Innovations in m-health have been used effectively in high income countries for smoking cessation, weight loss, diet and physical activity, treatment adherence, disease management, and more.1 2 3 4 M-health has also shown promise in some of the world’s poorest settings and hardest to reach populations, with initiatives including health promotion programmes using text or voice messaging, decision support apps, rapid diagnostics, early warning systems, and outbreak and disease surveillance methods.