Mobile Technology and Health Care
I came across a very interesting article from Kristin Tolle. She is the Director of External Research and Programs for Microsoft. Microsoft believes that there are abundant opportunities for mobile technology to improve public health, especially in the communities that are less fortunate than others.
In the areas that are short (or are lacking) health care facilities or medical staff, cell phones have the ability to help diagnose and treat illnesses. Microsoft is firmly inspired by this idea. Therefore, in the fall of 2007 the company solicited proposals from academic researchers who shared the same inspiration and began funding projects in early 2008.
The call for proposals caught the attention of the National Institutes of Health. This organization shares the interest of potential health care applications of cell phones and mobile devices. So, they started to work together to organize an event that would help increase the energy and momentum created by successful implementations of cellular-based solutions that would then improve global public health using mobile devices.
The responses from the event surpassed their expectations. Microsoft now has over 650 researchers and health care experts coming together to find a way for the 6.5 million people in the world to have better health care with the assistance of mobile technology.
This article can be located at microsoftontheissues.com
