An integrative ICT platform for eHealth

Abstract

Both eHealth and mHealth have much potential for efficient and effective health service delivery. However, fragmentation of applications and the lack of interoperability have been identified as major challenges for the effective deployment of eHealth and mHealth solutions. This paper presents the design of an integrative ICT platform for eHealth that enables (1) the integration of heterogeneous health related information, (2) the orchestration of eHealth and mHealth services and (3) easy deployment of mobile services independent of mobile device, operating system or network. The aim of the platform is to accelerate the adoption of mHealth solutions in support of the reengineered primary health care model and to facilitate the integration of existing eHealth and mHealth solutions on a service and information level. The platform is designed for the context of the South African primary healthcare system, but is relevant to any eHealth environment where integration, orchestration and mobile communication is required.