Using mhealth for point-ofcare testing: Swasthya Slate, India

The Swasthya Slate (Health Tablet) interfaces physiological sensors and diagnostic equipment with an affordable tablet computer. The device contains software for patient records and decision-support systems for clinical services. Its main use is to screen and monitor for diabetes and CVD. The aim is to help the public health system to improve access, specifically by equipping healthcare workers with a single device that will allow them to deliver many services.

Research by the Swaystha Slate development team, conducted with rural doctors and healthcare practitioners, has shown that the real power of mobile-based health lies in point-of-care diagnostics. The tablet can, for example, measure heart rate and body temperature, and help to determine whether water is safe to drink.

In initial tests in rural Odisha, researchers found that the healthcare workers could learn how to use the system in less than five minutes. Technology and other innovations can usually be developed and diffused much more cheaply in low and middle-income countries than in highincome countries.