Information and communication technologies and health in low income countries: the potential and the constraints
01 Jan 2001-Bulletin of The World Health Organization (World Health Organization)-Vol. 79, Iss: 9, pp 850-855
TL;DR: The potential offered by technological progress in the information and communication technologies (ICTs) industries for the health sector in developing countries is outlined, some examples of positive experiences in India are presented, and the difficulties in achieving this potential are considered.
Abstract: This paper outlines the potential offered by technological progress in the information and communication technologies (ICTs) industries for the health sector in developing countries, presents some examples of positive experiences in India, and considers the difficulties in achieving this potential. The development of ICTs can bring about improvements in health in developing countries in at least three ways: as an instrument for continuing education they enable health workers to be informed of and trained in advances in knowledge; they can improve the delivery of health and disaster management services to poor and remote locations; and they can increase the transparency and efficiency of governance, which should, in turn, improve the availability and delivery of publicly provided health services. These potential benefits of ICTs do not necessarily require all the final beneficiaries to be reached directly, thus the cost of a given quantum of effect is reduced. Some current experiments in India, such as the use of Personal Digital Assistants by rural health workers in Rajasthan, the disaster management project in Maharashtra and the computerized village offices in Andhra Pradesh and Pondicherry, suggest creative ways of using ICTs to improve the health conditions of local people. However, the basic difficulties encountered in using ICTs for such purposes are: an inadequate physical infrastructure; insufficient access by the majority of the population to the hardware; and a lack of the requisite skills for using them. We highlight the substantial cost involved in providing wider access, and the problem of resource allocation in poor countries where basic infrastructure for health and education is still lacking. Educating health professionals in the possible uses of ICTs, and providing them with access and "connectivity", would in turn spread the benefits to a much wider set of final beneficiaries and might help reduce the digital divide.
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01 Jan 2011
TL;DR: In this article, the authors propose a method to solve the problem of "uniformity" and "uncertainty" in the context of health care, and propose a solution.
Abstract: 103
4 citations
01 Jan 2004
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors highlight both traditional theoretical concepts, mainly drawn from the work of Marx, and their implications in terms of the Internet, computers and other related related technologies.
Abstract: The lnternct has become one of the most imporlant mediums of communication and information in modem society. For many, the rapid adoption of these technolo3ics in!o mainstream society has been combined with a reliance or> commercial software, most notably the Microsoft Corporation's Windows operating system. Question arise out of the c0mmercial dominance in a realm that until recently was characterised by the collective sharing of information and idet:~s. Although there is a lack of established sociological literature in this field, established literature on ownersf1ip, global capit
4 citations
Journal Article•
TL;DR: The effects of two key factors (enabling technologies and user participation) are evaluated to see their influence on success of e-health systems in hospitals of Pakistan.
Abstract: IT-applications in healthcare offers a novel way for improving the standard of healthcare services especially in developing states .In Pakistan both Government and private sector healthcare institutions are trying to take advantage of IT-applications for healthcare services just to come up with the rational-decisions for many healthcare-related problems in the country. ICTs for healthcare services provide opportunities for improvement by providing better, reliable and secure services to the patients, healthcare providers, staff and other stake holders both inside a hospital and also to distant patients where no physical healthcare infrastructure is available. This paper evaluates the effects of two key factors (enabling technologies and user participation) to see their influence on success of e-health systems in hospitals of Pakistan. The healthcare organizations having proper hardware and software and user participation in the development of IS ensures successful adoption and use of e-health systems in healthcare organizations anywhere including developing states. Keywords : Enabling Technologies, User-participation, E-health System, Developing Countries
4 citations
Cites background from "Information and communication techn..."
...This makes it difficult for governments of developing countries to determine their investment priorities (Chandrasekhar & Ghosh, 2001)....
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Dissertation•
01 Jan 2019
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a study on the problem of finding the optimal size of a column for a column in a table with a column-and-figure representation of the column.
Abstract: .......................................................................................................................v TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................... vii LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................x LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................ xii CHAPTER ONE ................................................................................................................1 1.0 INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................1 1.1 Background of the Study ...........................................................................................1 1.2 Statement of the Problem ...........................................................................................4 1.3 Purpose of the Research .............................................................................................7 1.4 Research Objectives ...................................................................................................7 1.5 Importance of the Research .......................................................................................7 1.6 Scope of Study ...........................................................................................................9 1.7 Definition of Terms....................................................................................................9 1.8 Chapter Summary ....................................................................................................11 CHAPTER TWO .............................................................................................................12 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW .........................................................................................12 2.
4 citations
References
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Book•
01 Jan 1999
TL;DR: The Public Report of Basic Education in India presents a comprehensive evaluation of the educational system in India with an extensive survey of 200 villages in five states.
Abstract: The Public Report of Basic Education in India presents a comprehensive evaluation of the educational system in India. Based on an extensive survey of 200 villages in five states of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Rajasthan, the report gives a voice to thousands of parents, teachers, and children.
439 citations
TL;DR: This is a fascinating collection of essays exploring "why some people are healthy and others not," from a variety of disciplines and theoretical perspectives that challenges the widespread belief that health care is the most important determinant of health and argues for a more comprehensive and coherent understanding of the determinants of health.
Abstract: This is a fascinating collection of essays exploring \"why some people are healthy and others not,\" from a variety of disciplines and theoretical perspectives. It represents the efforts of a group of researchers from diverse backgrounds who have met intermittently over the last five years as part of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research. Their common focus was to understand the determinants of a population's health. The book's point of departure is that \"factors in the social environment, external to the health care system, exert a major and potentially modifiable influence on the health of populations through biological channels that are just now beginning to be understood.\" (p. 23) Via this observation, the volume challenges the widespread belief that health care is the most important determinant of health and argues for a more comprehensive and coherent understanding of the determinants of health. This thesis is lucidly presented in the introductory chapter. Evans brings together findings from a number of studies that provoke fundamental questions about our understanding of health.
359 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, composite solar cells of improved efficiency comprise two cells of different characteristics arranged in optical series but electrically insulated from each other, each cell is of larger crystal grain size than its substrate, which grain size is achieved by growing the cell semiconductor on a molten intermediate rheotaxy layer of a suitable semi-conductor which solidifies at a temperature below the melting temperature of the solar cell.
Abstract: Composite solar cells of improved efficiency comprise two cells of different characteristics arranged in optical series but electrically insulated from each other. Preferably, each cell is of larger crystal grain size than its substrate, which grain size is achieved by growing the cell semi-conductor on a molten intermediate rheotaxy layer of a suitable semi-conductor which solidifies at a temperature below the melting temperature of the solar cell semi-conductor. The substrate and the intermediate rheotaxy layer of the overlying cell are transparent to that fraction of sunlight which is utilized by the underlying cell. Various configurations of overlying and underlying cells are disclosed.
299 citations
Book•
01 Jan 2000
TL;DR: In this paper, the successful use of information and communication technology (ICT) in rural development is discussed, and sixteen case studies are presented, which spell out the various applications of ICT that have made a difference in the delivery of services or products in rural India.
Abstract: This book documents the successful use of information and communication technology (ICT) in rural development. The book begins with an introductory chapter that traces the history of ICT use in rural India, examines some of the problems that have afflicted the implementation of rural development programmes, at the same time showing how ICT applications could help overcome them, assesses the early efforts in ICT use, and proposes a scheme by which to classify ICT applications. Written by administrators who lead projects in their areas, sixteen case studies follow, which spell out the various applications of ICT that have made a difference in the delivery of services or products in rural India. Among the services covered are health care, milk distribution, disaster management, postal services, telephones, and services for the disabled. These applications of ICT cover the use of simple and inexpensive technologies at one end, and sophisticated satellite-based communication at the other. An important collection that delineates the main elements of a strategy that can be used by governmental agencies to derive maximum developmental impact from investments in ICT
85 citations