Channel agnostic healthcare for resource constrained environments

Abstract

Mobile technologies have become a social reality in large parts of the developing world in general and in Africa especially. The large scale connected representativeness of access to and often ownership of mobile devices opens many doors to innovative, far reaching mobile-based applications and services. This near ubiquitous access, however, is characterized by an entirely new set of challenges as different legacy devices and cutting edge smartphones make up a cornucopia of end user realities. In order to reach as many end users as possible through the devices that they already own and are comfortable with, channel agnostic access is needed that would support the different mobile access channels using a variety of communications protocols. This paper outlines the various technical and operational considerations associated with the conceptualization of a middleware platform for mobile enablement and its application in the health environment as a mobile health monitoring system for community health workers.