The Role of mHealth in Improving Health and Medication Management

Mobile health (mHealth) involves the application of mobile devices and their related technologies in the provision of healthcare. In recent years, mHealth has become one of the most promising fields in improving healthcare quality and outcomes. There were over 325,000 mHealth apps in 2017, and this number is expected to grow tremendously due to continued investments in health apps. With advancements in mobile technologies and connectivity, mobile app developers now have the flexibility to develop and implement various mHealth-based interventions for medication management. Through improved functionalities and integration with electronic medical records, mHealth can potentially enable the provision of macro-, meso-, micro- and patient-level interventions in a more efficient manner. Chapter 2 provides an overview of the various mHealth interventions that have targeted medication management and medication non-adherence throughout the years, such as short-messaging services (SMSes) and smartphone apps. The functionalities that are useful in mHealth apps will also be discussed.