Recent Health and Technology Links
November 20th, 2008 Posted in Global Health, Health, Technology and DevelopmentHere are some really interesting recent links on how people are tracking and tackling health issues through computer and cell-phone based technologies. Some of them are better ideas than in practice, but I appreciate the potential!
“Project Masiluleke is a path-breaking effort that harnesses the power of mobile technology to address one of the world’s gravest public health crises. This ambitious initiative will leverage the ubiquity of mobile devices in South Africa to help fight the country’s crippling HIV/AIDS and TB epidemics.” (Also featured in a BBC article here).
“I am a bot who listens to your health status reports. Think of TwitterVision and of WhoIsSick?, and imagine me as a vehicle for early detection of pandemics.” (Very cool idea, but doesn’t seem to have followed through).
Twittering and Microblogging for Public Health (slideshow)
“Twitter is a microblogging tool that is increasingly being used in area relevant to public health. Some of these include disaster management and response, health behavior change, and health information outreach. In addition, it is also being used by professionals and organizations for routine communications. This presentation will provide an overview and introduction to Twitter and its real and potential roles in public health.”
The Lancet: Mobile phones: exceptional tools for HIV/AIDS, Health, and Crisis Management
“Perhaps one of the most promising emerging health systems tools, which can build capacity around the HIV/AIDS response and filter into the global health response, lies increasingly in the palms of our hands. Mobile telephones are reaching people in Africa’s cities, towns, villages, and countrysides more rapidly than anywhere else in the world. The overlap with the global health-care crisis does not go unnoticed…”
“We’ve found that certain search terms are good indicators of flu activity. Google Flu Trends uses aggregated Google search data to estimate flu activity in your state up to two weeks faster than traditional systems.” Read more »
“Who Is Sick was started in 2006 with a mission to provide current and local sickness information to the public - without the hassle of dealing with hospitals or doctors. With a strong belief in the power of people and a faith that user generated content can be extremely valuable, our team set out to create an entirely new system for tracking and monitoring sickness in your area and obtain sickness information.” (Again, cool idea but a bit limited).
