Great to see this discussion. I wanted to also add to the points raised by Claire [ Claire Glenton, Norway: https://www.hifa.org/dgroups-rss/mhealth-innovate-34-how-do-you-use-your... ] that the systematic review and guidelines on digital health interventions looked at evidence on effectiveness as well as other factors, including acceptability, feasibility, resource use, and equity. While the evidence on effectiveness was not overwhelming encouraging (due to the reasons Claire raised), qualitative literature also demonstrated the acceptability--which are also in line with the points about how mobile phones have become so central to our daily lives.
I personally think research on digital health interventions is particularly complex (though I am sure some would say any health system intervention is complex) because so many issues, including implementation challenges, realities of the enabling environment, and study design appropriateness, can affect how outcomes are measured and the effects we see. While this systematic review focused on "formally designed interventions" and impact, we realize we also can't escape that mobile phones, and digital tools in general, are increasingly embedded into how health services are provided. It will be interesting to read more about some of these approaches that are not captured through formal programs or assessed through traditional study designs.
Thanks,
Tigest
HIFA profile: Tigest Tamrat is a Technical Officer at the World Health Organization in Switzerland. She is a member of the HIFA mHEALTH-INNOVATE working group: What can we learn from health workers' informal use of mobile phones?
https://www.hifa.org/support/members/tigest
https://www.hifa.org/projects/mhealth-innovate-what-can-we-learn-health-...
Email: tigest AT gmail.com
