Department of Medicine and Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University, 2400 Pratt Street, Durham, North Carolina 27705, USA.
Global Health. 2014 Jun 13;10:49. doi: 10.1186/1744-8603-10-49.
Mobile health (mHealth) approaches for non-communicable disease (NCD) care seem particularly applicable to sub-Saharan Africa given the penetration of mobile phones in the region. The evidence to support its implementation has not been critically reviewed.
We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Clinical Trials, a number of other databases, and grey literature for studies reported between 1992 and 2012 published in English or with an English abstract available. We extracted data using a standard form in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.
Our search yielded 475 citations of which eleven were reviewed in full after applying exclusion criteria. Five of those studies met the inclusion criteria of using a mobile phone for non-communicable disease care in sub-Saharan Africa. Most studies lacked comparator arms, clinical endpoints, or were of short duration. mHealth for NCDs in sub-Saharan Africa appears feasible for follow-up and retention of patients, can support peer support networks, and uses a variety of mHealth modalities. Whether mHealth is associated with any adverse effect has not been systematically studied. Only a small number of mHealth strategies for NCDs have been studied in sub-Saharan Africa.
There is insufficient evidence to support the effectiveness of mHealth for NCD care in sub-Saharan Africa. We present a framework for cataloging evidence on mHealth strategies that incorporates health system challenges and stages of NCD care. This framework can guide approaches to fill evidence gaps in this area. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42014007527.
移动医疗（mHealth）方法在非传染性疾病（NCD）护理中似乎特别适用于撒哈拉以南非洲地区，因为该地区手机的普及率很高。但目前还没有对其实施效果的证据进行过严格的审查。
我们系统地检索了 PubMed、Embase、Web of Science、Cochrane 临床试验中心注册库以及其他一些数据库和灰色文献，检索范围为 1992 年至 2012 年间发表的英文文献或提供英文摘要的文献。我们按照系统评价和荟萃分析的首选报告项目的标准表格提取数据。
我们的搜索结果得到了 475 条引用，其中 11 条在应用排除标准后进行了全面审查。其中 5 项研究符合纳入标准，即使用手机对撒哈拉以南非洲的非传染性疾病进行护理。大多数研究缺乏对照组、临床终点或研究时间较短。在撒哈拉以南非洲地区，mHealth 应用于非传染性疾病护理似乎可以实现对患者的随访和保留，能够支持同伴支持网络，并使用各种 mHealth 模式。mHealth 是否与任何不良反应有关尚未得到系统研究。在撒哈拉以南非洲地区，只有少数针对非传染性疾病的 mHealth 策略得到了研究。
目前尚无足够证据支持 mHealth 在撒哈拉以南非洲地区用于非传染性疾病护理的有效性。我们提出了一个框架来对 mHealth 策略的证据进行分类，该框架纳入了卫生系统挑战和非传染性疾病护理的各个阶段。该框架可以指导在该领域填补证据空白的方法。系统评价注册：PROSPERO CRD42014007527。
