Background: mHealth refers to the use of mobile phones for health care and public health practice. The reasons of deaths in developing countries are shifting from communicable diseases towards non-communicable diseases (NCDs). We review studies assessing the health-related impacts of mobile health (mHealth) on NCDs in low- and middle- income countries (LAMICs) with the aim of giving recommendations for their further development. Methods: A systematic literature search of three major databases was performed in order to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of mHealth interventions. Identified RCTs were reviewed concerning effects of the interventions on health-related outcomes. Results: The search algorithms retrieved 733 titles. 6 RCTs were included in the review, including a total of 1850 participants. MHealth was found to have positively influenced clinical outcomes, compliance rates, as well as quality of life related aspects. Furthermore, other outcomes such as patients’ anxiety or patient-physician trust improved significantly. We also found that tailored interventions using a single service for the transmission (e.?g. only SMS) showed the most positive effect. Limiting factors of the evaluation however, were the few numbers of RCTs, the heterogeneity of outcome measures and the fact that all included studies were conducted in middle income countries and mostly in urban areas. Conclusions: Although mHealth is still in its infancy, it can emerge as an important tool for fighting NCDs in LAMICs. Therefore, further support by governmental institutions for coordinating and promoting the development of the required tools, as well as further research especially in low-income economies, with a focus on the evaluation of the long-term effects of mHealth is needed. Hintergrund: Die Todesursachen in Entwicklungsländern verschieben sich kontinuierlich von übertragbaren hin zu nicht-übertragbaren Krankheiten (NCDs). Deshalb werden in diesem systematischen Review gesundheitsbezogene Einflüsse von mobile Health (mHealth) Interventionen zur Bekämpfung von NCDs in Entwicklungs- und Schwellenländern (LAMICs) untersucht, um Einschätzungen zur bisherigen und Empfehlungen zur weiteren Entwicklung zu geben. Methode: Eine systematische Literatursuche in drei großen Datenbanken wurde durchgeführt um randomisiert-kontrollierte Studien (RCTs) von mHealth Interventionen in LAMICs zu identifizieren. Die ermittelten RCTs wurden hinsichtlich der Effekte von mHealth Interventionen auf gesundheitsbezogene Parameter ausgewertet. Resultate: Von insgesamt 733 erfassten Titeln wurden 6 RCTs mit 1850 Teilnehmern einbezogen. Es wurde festgestellt, dass mHealth einen positiven Einfluss auf klinische Resultate, Compliance-Raten, sowie Lebensqualitäts-bezogene Aspekte hat. Zudem verbesserten sich im Rahmen der Interventionen weitere Faktoren wie das Vertrauen zwischen Patient und Arzt oder Ängste der Patienten. Ferner wurde festgestellt, dass individualisierte Interventionen bessere Resultate als generalisierte Interventionen erzielen. Limitierende Faktoren bei diesem Review waren die geringe Anzahl an RCTs, die Heterogenität der evaluierten Parameter und der Umstand, dass fast alle inkludierten Studien in urbanen Gebieten von Schwellenländern durchgeführt worden sind. Schlussfolgerung: mHealth kann zu einem wichtigen Instrument bei der Bekämpfung von NCDs in LAMICs heranwachsen. Dazu ist jedoch eine stärkere Unterstützung insbesondere von staatlichen Institutionen unumgänglich. Zudem müssen zukünftige Forschungen einen Fokus auf Langzeit-Effekte insbesondere in einkommensschwachen Ländern haben.

The newest edition of best-selling Chronic Illness continues to focus on the various aspects of chronic illness that influence both patients and their families. Topics include the sociological, psychological, ethical, organizational, and financial factors, as well as individual and system outcomes. This book is designed to teach students about the whole client or patient versus the physical status of the client with chronic illness. The study questions at the end of each chapter and the case studies help the students apply the information to real life. Evidence-based practice references are included in almost every chapter.

Rates of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in low- and middle-income countries are increasing faster, in younger people, and with worse outcomes than in wealthier countries. In 2013 alone, NCDs killed eight million people before their sixtieth birthdays in developing countries. A new CFR-sponsored Independent Task Force report and accompanying interactive look at the factors behind this epidemic and the ways the United States can best fight it.

Low and middle income countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America bear a significant proportion of the global burden of chronic non-communicable diseases. This book synthesizes evidence across countries that share similar socio-economic, developmental and public health profiles, including rapid urbanization, globalization and poverty. Providing insights on successful and sustainable interventions and policies, it shows how to slow and reverse the rising burden of chronic diseases in resource-poor settings.

A new addition to the successful telehealth series,Telehealth in the Developing Worldaims to balance the relative lack of published information on successful telehealth solutions in the developing world.

In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.

This text systematically examines some of the key issues involved in the care of those with chronic diseases. It synthesises the evidence on what we know works (or does not) in different circumstances. From an international perspective, it addresses the prerequisites for effective policies and management of chronic disease.