How SMS Could Save Your Life

Cell phones might be used to manage the treatment of HIV/AIDS in countries where health care systems are overburdened and doctors are scarce, reports Wired.

"The Sizophila Project, an AIDS treatment program located in this township near Cape Town, uses a system called Cell-Life, a cell phone technology based plateform able to communicate information and logistical support.

"The system combines a comprehensive database that includes a patient's treatment history and lab results with a messaging service that enables counselors, clinic staff and doctors to communicate using SMS.

Visiting clients' homes, therapeutic counselors scroll through a series of menus to report on side effects, monitor adherence and provide detailed social information. Once every four months, they show up without an appointment to count the client's pills.

They use SMS to send all of this information to a central database, where Sister Mtwisha can instantly view it on her computer screen. With all of the relevant information compiled neatly in front of her, the irregularities stand out.

Cell phones are cheap and easy to operate -- even in the middle of nowhere. Forty percent of South Africans already use them, and the country's cellular networks cover 90 percent of the country, outstripping land lines in most rural areas."

emily | 2:22 PM | Health Issues and SMS Alerts |
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