Basic Mobile Phone Research Articles

Expanding access to rehabilitation using mobile health to address musculoskeletal pain and disability.

Musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders such as low back pain and osteoarthritis are a leading cause of disability and the leading contributor to the need for rehabilitation services globally. This need has surpassed the availability of trained clinicians; even in urban areas where services and providers are thought to be more abundant, access can be challenged by transportation options and financial costs associated with travel, care and lost time from work. However, continuing standard of fully in-person rehabilitation care for MSK-associated pain and disability may no longer be necessary. With increased ownership or access to even a basic mobile phone device, and evidence for remote management by trained clinicians, some individuals with MSK disorders may be able to continue their rehabilitation regimen predominantly from home after initial evaluation in primary care or an outpatient clinic. This manuscript describes application of a framework we used to culturally and contextually adapt an evidence-based approach for leveraging digital health technology using a mobile phone (mHealth) to expand access to rehabilitation services for MSK-associated pain and disability. We then conducted a multi-level analysis of policies related to the adapted approach for rehabilitation service delivery to identify opportunities to support sustainability. Our study was conducted in Tanzania, a lower-middle income country with their first National Rehabilitation Strategic Plan released in 2021. Lessons learned can be applied even to countries with greater infrastructure or fewer barriers. The seven-step adaptation framework used can be applied in other regions to improve the likelihood of local mHealth adoption and implementation. Our practice and policy assessment for Tanzania can be applied in other regions and used collaboratively with government officials in support of building or implementing a national rehabilitation strategic plan. The work described, lessons learned and components of the plan are generalizable globally and can improve access to rehabilitation services using mHealth to address the significant and increasing burden of disability.

Mobile self-efficacy as predictor of mobile-based personal digital archiving practices: a study of Pakistani undergraduates

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of mobile self-efficacy on personal digital archiving (PDA) practices of undergraduate students. Design/methodology/approach This study used a quantitative research design for achieving the objectives. The population consisted of undergraduate students from public sector universities (the top five) of Punjab, Pakistan, listed in the Higher Education Commission recognized general universities. The data were analysed by using SmartPLS, mobile self-efficacy was the independent variable that consisted of two constructs (basic mobile phone operations and using the internet and emails). PDA practices was the dependent variable (information backup, clearing and deleting). Findings The analysis consisted of two major parts: first the assessment of measurement model and second the structural equation modelling analysis. A significant impact of mobile self-efficacy (basic mobile phone operations, using internet and email) was found on all the sub-constructs (information backup, information clearing and information deleting) of PDA practices. However, using internet and email has no significant impact on the information clearing practices of undergraduate students of Pakistani universities. Originality/value This study is a valuable addition to the extant literature because no comprehensive research has been carried out on the impact of mobile self-efficacy and PDA through mobile phones. It also contributes theoretically in the form of the development of a validated instrument on mobile-based PDA. Additionally, it possesses practical value for information literacy instruction programs.

Information Seeking Practices and Availability of Smart Devices Among Healthcare Professionals in a Lower-Middle-Income Country: An Analysis From Pakistan.

Introduction Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is a principle that integrates clinical experience with relevant information available to provide adequate healthcare. It requires access to current medical literature. This paper analyzes the information requirements of a lower-middle-income country (LMIC) and the resources available and preferred by medical professionals. Methods A survey-based cross-sectional study was carried out among 160 participants, ranging in expertise from students to attendingphysicians in Karachi, Pakistan. The survey comprised questions to assess the clinical background, technology access, need for health-related information, and the preference for resources to obtain that information in different scenarios. They were also asked if they use PubMed and their recommended methods to improve information access. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS; IBM, NY, USA)software was used for all analyses. Results A basic mobile phone (with limited internet connectivity) was the most common device used at home (n=159; 99.4%) and work (n=141; 88.1%). No smart devices were available to 28 (17.5%)participants at work. Internet connectivity was available for 155 (96.9%)participants at home but only for 118 (73.7%) participants at work.About one-third (n=49; 30.6%)experienced questions arising in practice two to four times a day, and half of the participants (n=80; 50%) were very likely to look up a reference. The most common resource for the majority of given clinical scenarios was a senior colleague. At the same time, medical websites (Medscape, Up-to-Date, WebMD) were the first choice for a non-specific general medical query. About 68.75% (n=110) of participants claimed to use PubMed in daily practice. The most common reason for not using PubMed was the ease of using other search engines (like Google). Conclusions Improved access to the internet and well-reputed journals can enhance the practice of EBM in Pakistan. Limitations of technological access must be considered while designing information resources in lower-middle-income countries.

An Unstructured Supplementary Service Data System for Daily Tracking of Patient Samples and Diagnostic Results in a Diagnostic Network in Malawi: System Development and Field Trial.

BackgroundDiagnostics in many low- and middle-income countries are conducted through centralized laboratory networks. Samples are collected from patients at remote point-of-care health facilities, and diagnostic tests are performed at centralized laboratories. Sample transportation systems that deliver diagnostic samples and test results are crucial for timely diagnosis and treatment in such diagnostic networks. However, they often lack the timely and accurate data (eg, the quantity and location of samples prepared for collection) required for efficient operation.ObjectiveThis study aims to demonstrate the feasibility, adoption, and accuracy of a distributed data collection system that leverages basic mobile phone technology to gather reports on the quantity and location of patient samples and test results prepared for delivery in the diagnostic network of Malawi.MethodsWe designed a system that leverages unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) technology to enable health workers to submit daily reports describing the quantity of transportation-ready diagnostic samples and test results at specific health care facilities, free of charge with any mobile phone, and aggregate these data for sample transportation administrators. We then conducted a year-long field trial of this system in 51 health facilities serving 3 districts in Malawi. Between July 2019 and July 2020, the participants submitted daily reports containing the number of patient samples or test results designated for viral load, early infant diagnosis, and tuberculosis testing at each facility. We monitored daily participation and compared the submitted USSD reports with program data to assess system feasibility, adoption, and accuracy.ResultsThe participating facilities submitted 37,771 reports over the duration of the field trial. Daily facility participation increased from an average of 50% (26/51) in the first 2 weeks of the trial to approximately 80% (41/51) by the midpoint of the trial and remained at or above 80% (41/51) until the conclusion of the trial. On average, more than 80% of the reports submitted by a facility for a specific type of sample matched the actual number of patient samples collected from that facility by a courier.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that a USSD-based system is a feasible, adoptable, and accurate solution to the challenges of untimely, inaccurate, or incomplete data in diagnostic networks. Certain design characteristics of our system, such as the use of USSD, and implementation characteristics, such as the supportive role of the field team, were necessary to ensure high participation and accuracy rates without any explicit financial incentives.

An investigation of a wash‐durable solar energy harvesting textile

AbstractThis work demonstrates a novel and sustainable energy solution in the form of a photovoltaic fabric that can deliver a reliable energy source for wearable and mobile devices. The solar fabric was woven using electronic yarns created by embedding miniature crystalline silicon solar cells connected with fine copper wires within the fibres of a textile yarn. This approach of integrating solar energy harvesting capability within the heart of the textile fabric allows it to retain the flexibility, three‐dimensional deformability, and moisture and heat transfer characteristics of the fabric. In this investigation, both the design and performance of the solar cell embedded yarns and solar energy harvesting fabrics were explored. These yarns and resultant fabrics were characterised under different light intensities and at different angles of incident light, a critical factor for a wearable device. The solar cell embedded yarns woven into fabrics can undergo domestic laundering and maintained ~90% of their original power output after 15 machine wash cycles. The solar fabric embedded with 200 solar cells demonstrated here (44.5 mm × 45.5 mm active area) was capable of continuously generating ~2.15 mW/cm2 under one sun illumination and was capable of powering a basic mobile phone. The power generation capability and durability of the solar energy harvesting fabric proved its viability to power wearable devices as an integral part of regular clothing.

Including the Voice of Care Recipients in Community Health Feedback Loops in Rural Kenya

Community health programs in low-resource settings (like rural Kenya) aim to provide essential health services to vulnerable populations. However, to date, there has been limited research that explores the design of mechanisms that enable care recipients to provide feedback regarding their satisfaction with the services they receive. Such feedback has the potential to increase the motivation of community health workers (CHWs), enhance training procedures, detect fraudulent behavior, and inform key performance indicators for health programs. Our paper explores the design and deployment of a USSD-based system that allows anyone who possesses a basic mobile phone to provide feedback regarding the health services and quality of care they received from a CHW or during a hospital visit. Our system was designed through iterative fieldwork in rural Kenya that engaged with multiple stakeholder groups, including care recipients, CHWs, and high-level decision makers. After designing and testing the system, we deployed it for seven weeks in Siaya, Kenya, collecting both quantitative system usage data and qualitative data from six focus groups with 42 participants. Findings from our deployment show that 168 care recipients engaged with the system, submitting 495 reports via USSD. We discuss the broader factors impacting deployment, including the feasibility of USSD, actionability of feedback, scalability, and sustainability. Taken together, our findings suggest that USSD is a promising approach for enabling care recipients to submit feedback in a way that balances privacy, equity, and sustainability.

Inferring User Profile Attributes From Multidimensional Mobile Phone Sensory Data

User profile can be used to characterize a person and help us better understand him/her, which further can be utilized to provide enhanced personalized services. When using mobile phone, some of one’s information are unavoidably and unobtrusively passed or stored, which makes it possible to draw the user profile. In this paper, we propose to infer user profile, including age, gender, and personality traits based on mobile phone sensory data. Specifically, we capture data when unlocking screen, playing games as well as some basic mobile phone information, app usage, and screen status by using common available sensors in commodity mobile phones. By analyzing the differences in users’ phone usage, we extracted features for user profile inference. Random Forest regression and random forest classification models are separately used to estimate age and gender of the user while support vector regression algorithm is applied to identify personality traits. In addition, we evaluate the model through real-life experiments conducted with a total of 84 phone users. Experimental results show that our approach effective, achieving an RSME of 4.3696 in age estimation and precision of 91.70% in gender detection. As for personality traits identification, the root mean square errors of openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism are 0.29, 0.3506, 0.465, 0.3022, and 0.452, respectively.

Mobile Phone Ownership, Health Apps, and Tablet Use in US Adults With a Self-Reported History of Hypertension: Cross-Sectional Study.

BackgroundMobile phone and tablet ownership have increased in the United States over the last decade, contributing to the growing use of mobile health (mHealth) interventions to help patients manage chronic health conditions like diabetes. However, few studies have characterized mobile device ownership and the presence of health-related apps on mobile devices in people with a self-reported history of hypertension.ObjectiveThis study aimed to describe the prevalence of smartphone, tablet, and basic mobile phone ownership and the presence of health apps by sociodemographic factors and self-reported hypertension status (ie, history) in a nationally representative sample of US adults, and to describe whether mobile devices are associated with health goal achievement, medical decision making, and patient-provider communication.MethodsData from 3285 respondents from the 2017 Health Information National Trends Survey were analyzed. Participants were asked if they owned a smartphone, tablet, or basic mobile phone and if they had health apps on a smartphone or tablet. Participants were also asked if their smartphones or tablets helped them achieve a health-related goal like losing weight, make a decision about how to treat an illness, or talk with their health care providers. Chi-square analyses were conducted to test for differences in mobile device ownership, health app presence, and app helpfulness by patient characteristics.ResultsApproximately 1460 (37.6% weighted prevalence) participants reported a history of hypertension. Tablet and smartphone ownership were lower in participants with a history of hypertension than in those without a history of hypertension (55% vs 66%, P=.001, and 86% vs 68%, P<.001, respectively). Participants with a history of hypertension were more likely to own a basic mobile phone only as compared to those without a history of hypertension (16% vs 9%, P<.001). Among those with a history of hypertension exclusively, basic mobile phone, smartphone, and tablet ownership were associated with age and education, but not race or sex. Older adults were more likely to report having a basic mobile phone only, whereas those with higher education were more likely to report owning a tablet or smartphone. Compared to those without a history of hypertension, participants with a history of hypertension were less likely to have health-related apps on their smartphones or tablets (45% vs 30%, P<.001) and report that mobile devices helped them achieve a health-related goal (72% vs 63%, P=.01).ConclusionsDespite the increasing use of smartphones, tablets, and health-related apps, these tools are used less among people with a self-reported history of hypertension. To reach the widest cross-section of patients, a mix of novel mHealth interventions and traditional health communication strategies (eg, print, web based, and in person) are needed to support the diverse needs of people with a history of hypertension.

大学生基本心理需要与手机成瘾现状的调查分析

大学生基本心理需要与手机成瘾现状的调查分析

Digital disparities and vulnerability: mobile phone use, information behaviour, and disaster preparedness in Southeast Asia.

This paper proposes an ecological view to investigate how disparities in mobile technology use reflect vulnerabilities in communities vis-à-vis disaster preparedness. Data (n=1,603) were collected through a multi-country survey conducted equally in rural and urban areas of Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, and Vietnam, where mobile technology has become a dominant and ubiquitous communication and information medium. The findings show that smartphone users' routinised use of mobile technology and their risk perception are significantly associated with disaster preparedness behaviour indirectly through disaster-related information sharing. In addition to disaster-specific social support, smartphone users' disaster-related information repertoires are another strong influencing factor. In contrast, non-smartphone users are likely to rely solely on receipt of disaster-specific social support as the motivator of disaster preparedness. The results also reveal demographic and rural-urban differences in disaster information behaviour and preparedness. Given the increasing shift from basic mobile phone models to smartphones, the theoretical and policy-oriented implications of digital disparities and vulnerability are discussed.

Design of a solar energy centre for providing lighting and income-generating activities for off-grid rural communities in Kenya

Abstract One of the biggest challenges in the developing world is the provision of affordable and reliable electricity access to rural and marginalized people where grid extension is prohibitively expensive. Many off-grid schemes to date have focused on household lighting with mixed success. Some of the greatest difficulties have been around affordability and sustainability of the service provided, with systems being abandoned or removed due to broken equipment or inability of the user to continue paying for the service. It has been reported that key to the success of the best programs has been the means to improve the economic prospects of the users. In this paper the design of a solar energy centre for a rural village in Kenya, that enables income-generating activities for the community in addition to basic lighting and mobile phone charging provision, will be reported. We have found that it is possible to use the energy centre model to provide power for activities that could offer a source of income for the community, at an affordable cost with equipment available in Kenya today. It is believed that this will allow the community to develop economically and therefore ensure the sustainability of the off-grid power supply.

Smallholder farmers’ knowledge of mobile telephone use: Gender perspectives and implications for agricultural market development

Recent growth in mobile telephone and mobile-based information services in many developing countries provides opportunities to reduce costly and incomplete information dissemination in the agricultural sector and ensure efficient functioning of markets. But in order to successfully use mobile phones for the optimal development of agricultural markets, understanding the impact of social structure on mobile phone adoption, its uses and perceived impacts are invaluable. Although global assessments of capacity in the use of information communication technology (ICT) devices have been considered, such assessments mask significant geo-spatial variations among local farmers—male and female—with respect to their capacity to effectively use basic mobile phone functions. Documenting and recognizing this is important for the development of national agricultural ICT policies, as well as programmes aimed at increasing farmers’ knowledge and use of ICT for agricultural marketing. This article’s contribution to agricultural marketing and the use of ICT in developing countries (such as Ghana) is anchored in the assessment of the technical capacity and mobile telephone-based market information access to farmers in selected rural districts of Ghana. The selected districts are where most households are poor and heavily dependent on farming as their mainstay, and furthermore, where market information which mobile phones facilitate is crucial to maximizing their incomes.

Towards a People Centred Early Warning and Disaster Response System in Samoa: The Use of ICT by Samoans During Disaster

AbstractThis paper reports on the findings of a 400 household survey which investigated what sources of information and technical medium Samoan citizens trust and act upon in times of disaster. Findings of the survey indicated the following. 1)The predominance and pervasiveness of mobile phones at 91% indicate its potential for use in any disaster response and relief interventions. 2) With only 34% of mobile phones being Smart phones: disaster preparedness, early warning and response interventions should target basic mobile phone sets. 3) With 65% of respondents using Face Book this social media should be considered as a possible avenue for lateral dissemination for early warning and disaster response. 4) The predominance of radio followed by TV as an important, trusted source of information which people act on indicate its important role in any emergency response interventions. Since these media are trusted sources they should be used extensively for dissemination of information for preparedness, early warning and disaster response. 5) Professional reporters are regarded by the majority as the most predominantly used, the most trusted and the most important source of information and news during an emergency. The findings of this survey generate important considerations towards a people centred early warning and disaster relief system.

Mobile financial services and financial inclusion: Is it a boon for savings mobilization?

The adoption of mobile telephony to provide financial services in Africa has become instrumental in integrating the hitherto unbanked segments of the population to the mainstream financial systems. This study sought to establish this linkage by examining whether the pervasive use of mobile telephony to provide financial services is a boon for savings mobilization in selected countries in sub Saharan Africa. The findings show that availability and usage of mobile phones to provide financial services promotes the likelihood of saving at the household level. Not only does access to mobile financial services boost the likelihood to save, but also has a significant impact on the amounts saved, perhaps due to the frequency and convenience with which such transactions can be undertaken using a mobile phone. Both forms of savings, that is, basic mobile phone savings stored in the phone and bank integrated mobile savings are likely to be promoted by use of mobile phones. Thus, growing and deepening the scope for mobile phone financial services is an avenue for promoting savings mobilization, especially among the poor and low income groups with constrained access to formal financial services.

Prototyping of a Basic Functional Mobile Phone

Communication is an integral part of science that has always been a focus point for exchanging information among parties at locations physically apart. The advent of phones led to new job titles such as Phone Engineers or Repairers, but phones are imported with no attempt to manufacture locally made phones in the developing countries such as Nigeria. Thus, there is a motivation to study the prototyping of a basic functional mobile phone with a view towards the local manufacture of mobile phones or at least some of its components. The basic architecture of the designed phone prototype consists of the keypad, microcontroller, digital display, the sound circuitry, GSM shield and the power circuit. The keypad liaises with the microcontroller to interpret pressed characters and serves as the primary method of input. The microcontroller controls and organizes the other components to give the desired output. The digital display which is typically a liquid crystal display (LCD) shows the character(s) that has been pressed on the keypad. The GSM shield connects to the nearest telecoms operator access point to get across to a call or short message service (SMS) recipient. Our prototype of a basic functional mobile is only able to make and receive both calls and SMS. We intend to improve the prototype further by reducing the response time after the key depression, reduce power consumption and use miniaturized components to reduce its current size.

Urine transduction to usable energy: A modular MFC approach for smartphone and remote system charging

This study reports for the first time the full charging of a state-of-the-art mobile smartphone, using Microbial Fuel Cells fed with urine. This was possible by employing a new design of MFC that allowed scaling-up without power density losses. Although it was demonstrated in the past that a basic mobile phone could be charged by MFCs, the present study goes beyond this to show how, simply using urine, an MFC system successfully charges a modern-day smartphone. Several energy-harvesting systems have been tested and results have demonstrated that the charging circuitry of commercially available phones may consume up to 38% of energy on top of the battery capacity. The study concludes by developing a mobile phone charger based on urine, which results in 3h of phone operation (outgoing call) for every 6h of charge time, with as little as 600mL (per charge) of real neat urine.

Information‐seeking trends of medical professionals and students from middle‐income countries: a focus on the Philippines

Increased emphasis has been given to the practice of evidence-based medicine (EBM) worldwide. Access to quality health information is essential to the practice of EBM in developing countries. To understand the information needs and sources of information of physicians from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Medical doctors and students participated in an 18-question online or paper study. Of the 156 respondents from six LMICs, 146 (94%) came from the Philippines. Eighty-eight per cent encountered at least one clinical question daily, while 58% were very likely to search for answers. A basic mobile phone was the most used device at home (94%) and at work (82%). More than half had Internet connectivity at home (62%) and just under half at work (46%). In decreasing order, short messaging services (SMS), email, instant messaging and multimedia messaging services (MMS) were the most commonly used messaging tools at home and at work. The primary source for medication questions was a formulary, but for diagnostic dilemmas, colleagues were consulted first. PubMed use was high for therapy and management questions. The use of health information from the Internet through mobile devices may be increasing. Access to health information was higher at home than at work. These results may be useful when planning resources for healthcare givers in resource-poor settings.

Influence of personality on satisfaction with mobile phone services

We propose a conceptual model that explains the relationship between the users' personality profile and their satisfaction with basic mobile phone services (calls, messages, and simple GPRS/3G services). The model captures direct and indirect effects on satisfaction by means of two variables: actual mobile phone usage and perceived usability of the related services. We empirically validate the model with data gathered from 603 customers of a telecommunication operator, and find that: (1) extroversion , conscientiousness , and intellect have a significant impact on customer satisfaction—positively for the first two traits and negatively for the latter; (2) extroversion positively influences mobile phone usage; and (3) extroversion and conscientiousness positively influence the users' perceived usability of mobile services. Interestingly, usability has the strongest positive impact on satisfaction, whereas mobile phone usage has a negative impact on satisfaction. We discuss key findings of this model and propose several implications for the design of mobile phone services.

Smartphone Usage in Patients with Optic Atrophy

In March 2012, we surveyed 12 visually impaired patients with optic atrophy about their knowledge and familiarity with smartphone technology. Demographic information was collected regarding age, race, gender, visual acuity, and ocular diagnosis. The age (mean ± SD)/mean ± SD age was 45.6 ± 14 years. Five of 12 (42%) patients used smartphones (mean age 35.6 ± 10 years) and 7 of 12 (58%) patients used a basic mobile phone (mean age 52.7 ± 12 years). The mean visual acuity of the smartphone users was 20/348 in the right eye and 20/369 in the left eye. The mean visual acuity of basic mobile phone users was 20/107 in the right eye and 20/93 in the left eye. Two of our smartphone users reported using a voice-activated assistant such as Siri on iPhone 4S. In our study, younger visually impaired optic atrophy patients were more likely to use smartphone technology (p = 0.05) despite their visual acuities being worse than the basic cell phone users. No patients in our study reported any recommendation from their low vision specialist concerning smartphone technology. Our results indicate that low vision specialists are not adequately educating visually impaired optic atrophy patients about features on smartphones that would improve their quality of life.

Beyond Classroom

This paper investigates how a group of undergraduate female students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) use mobile phones to support informal learning related to the content of their courses. It also addresses the usefulness of informal learning activities to support students’ formal learning. Data were collected using a survey and focus group interviews. Main findings show that students performed informal learning mainly from home and interacted with key individuals. Overall, students used basic mobile phone applications which they found useful to their learning. The paper discusses key themes emerging from the findings and makes a contribution towards understanding the uses of mobile technologies in informal learning settings within a non-Western culture. Recommendations for future research are also discussed.