Mobile Health: general concepts and its potential to be implemented in Cuba

Abstract

Introduction: the use of Digital and Communication Technologies are currently part of the daily activities of society. Mobile health (mHealth) is one of the most developed nowadays, on one hand, due to the new normality generated by the COVID-19 pandemic, but also far away, due to the relevant advantages acquired for mobile telephone technologies over other technologies. Objective: to systematize the theories concerning mobile health and to assess its developing potential in Cuba. Method: a documentary analysis was carried out in response to the authors' information needs, comprising three phases: exploration of the priority areas and the current problematic issues, determination of the essential ideas sit in the documents consulted and which provide the general meaning included in those documents and, as a third phase implemented, it was included the systematization of the information obtained to update the new information contained in the current article. Results: general aspects, such as: Mobile health in Cuba in line with the country's technological development, Safety and use compatibility, legal aspects for properly development were described; aspects which help in the process of creating mobile health applications. It was also proposed the Mobincube platform, as an easy to learn and use tool for health professionals, allowing them to create their own applications without the need for programming. Conclusions: Cuba has sufficient technological and intellectual development to venture into the development of mobile health field. The main challenge is to gain sufficient informatics culture among Cuban health professionals in the field of mobile health.

Keywords

• telemedicina
• salud móvil
• aplicaciones móviles
• salud electrónica