M-health

An app on your phone that checks your breathing, heart rate or blood sugar level and asks you to take care of your health are digital tools that can be used by everyone today.

Mobile health (mHealth) is a priority area within the World Health Organization and revolves around mobile health technology that we carry with us, wear or get placed inside us. The goal is for the health service to have better access to data about our health situation, or for us to be able to communicate and interact better as patients.

Mobile health solutions can be technical measuring instruments of various types, smartphones or tablets with apps or other equipment that can be connected. Examples include mobile apps that motivate lifestyle changes or support tools to live with diabetes. It can be insulin pens with communication, smartwatches and bracelets like Fitbit. Apps that record physical activity, such as Runkeeper or Endomondo are other examples.

Diabetes is one of the diseases where mobile health technology has come a long way in testing and adapting various tools. The Norwegian Centre for E-health Research has several different research projects within diabetes and mobile health.

Mobile health technology makes it possible for patients to manage their everyday life better than before. Patients who previously had to travel to the hospital or doctor's office for check-ups can now record information where they are using the apps and the other smart technological tools that fall within the mobile health area. The data they collect and share can say more about how they are doing with their health. Health personnel who receive the information sent to them can thus give the patient better advice.