Over ninety representatives from countries, technical agencies, financing partners, the corporate sector as well as civil society, are meeting together in Geneva over the next two days for a first-ever consultation on the role of electronic and mobile health (e/mHealth) interventions in TB and tobacco control. This consultation has been organized by the World Health Organization's (WHO) Global TB Programme and Department for the Prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases with the European Respiratory Society (ERS).
Both TB and tobacco are major global public health concerns, causing millions of deaths each year. There is a strong association between smoking and TB, with each fuelling the other's impact. Information and communication technology could provide new solutions and avenues for joint action on both of these human scourges.
Harnessing the potential of information and communication technology
"The consultation will lead the way in defining how we can harness the power of information and communication technologies to combat TB and tobacco use", said Dr Mario Raviglione, Director of the WHO Global TB Programme. "In particular, the use of these technologies will be critical in helping us reach our new global targets to end the TB epidemic".
"While some countries and partners have already initiated small pilot initiatives on e/mHealth, these haven't been taken to scale due to a lack of sufficient evidence, support and synergic action. The full potential of information and communication technology thus remains largely untapped and presents a significant opportunity in the fight against TB and tobacco use", said Dr Doug Bettcher, Director of the WHO Department for the Prevention of Noncommunicable diseases.
Moving forward
The consultation will feed into the development of different information and communication technology concepts and products that address patient care, surveillance and monitoring, as well as programme management (particularly laboratory information systems), and eLearning.
"We see this meeting as uniting experts who will play different roles in shaping the future of e/mHealth for TB and tobacco control", said Professor Elisabeth Bel, the President of the ERS. "We remain committed to supporting this ground-breaking effort to revolutionize the use of information and communication technologies to save lives".
Professor GB Migliori, Secretary General of the ERS, further added, " While new products and programmes are emerging all the time, it is crucial that we assess the effectiveness of these measures and channel our resources accordingly".