By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    changes brought on by blockchain in healthcare
    Technology In The Healthcare Industry
    March 28, 2022
    What Does Core Body Temperature Say About Health?
    August 17, 2022
    health suppliments
    Experience Life in a Better Way by Experimenting with Supplements!
    November 15, 2022
    Latest News
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
    The Hidden Impact Of Stress On Your Body’s Alignment And Balance
    May 22, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    How is Gaming Changing the Landscape in Health Care? Part 1 | Fabio Gratton, Ignite Health
    January 5, 2012
    They Call This Research?
    April 26, 2011
    Teachers Get Free Botox in Buffalo
    January 28, 2012
    Latest News
    When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
    June 20, 2025
    Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
    June 15, 2025
    Strengthening Healthcare Systems Through Clinical and Administrative Career Development
    June 13, 2025
    Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
    May 18, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Mobile Health Around the Globe: Operation Smile India Launches mHealth Application in Assam
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Global Healthcare > Mobile Health Around the Globe: Operation Smile India Launches mHealth Application in Assam
Global HealthcareMobile Health

Mobile Health Around the Globe: Operation Smile India Launches mHealth Application in Assam

Lindsey Rowe
Last updated: July 15, 2013 6:21 am
Lindsey Rowe
Share
6 Min Read
Image
SHARE

Image

Operation Smile has launched a mobile health nutrition application in Assam, India. Created by Dimagi through a grant from USAID, the mobile health program will track the nutritional status of children with cleft lip and cleft palate in the district of Nagaon.

Image

Operation Smile has launched a mobile health nutrition application in Assam, India. Created by Dimagi through a grant from USAID, the mobile health program will track the nutritional status of children with cleft lip and cleft palate in the district of Nagaon.

More Read

Cancer Treatment Eased With the Use of an App
mHealth on The Colbert Report: Dr. Eric Topol [VIDEO]
How Can Big Data Leverage Healthcare Industry
Mobile Health Technology: Results of HIMSS Survey on Usage
Pioneering Healthcare in Brazil

This mobile phone application will be used by the cleft nutrition team at Operation Smile’s Guwahati ImageComprehensive Cleft Care Centre’s to track the nutritional status of patients who are currently too malnourished to receive surgery. The cleft nutrition team currently has a list of over 400 patients across the state of Assam they are tracking, many of which are not able to return to the center for nutrition follow-ups due to geographic, logistic, and financial barriers. This application will allow Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) to travel to the patients’ homes, collect critical health information, and offer nutritional counseling to the families. The data will be held on a server that the nutrition team can access from any computer, anywhere and will greatly decrease the burden of travel on the patients’ families as well as the dropout rate from the nutrition program.

Recently, Operation Smile conducted a 2 day training for 10 ASHA’s in the district of Nagaon. The ASHAs were trained on mobile phone use, basic nutrition anthropometric measures, and the mobile application, followed by field visits, travelling with each ASHA to the patients’ homes. These visits provided the ASHAs with the opportunity to bond with the patients and families.

ImageWhy is nutrition so important?

Each year an estimated 1,000 children are born each year with a cleft in the state of Assam. Approximately 45,000 children and adults in Assam today are suffering from a cleft and 10 % of all cleft patients are too malnourished to receive surgery. This is because infants with clefts face severe difficulties with feeding. Without surgical repair, the nutritional status of many children with cleft lip and palate will continue to deteriorate. For surgical treatment to be safe and effective children must be healthy and sufficiently well-nourished; with decreased nutritional status the risk of complications greatly increases. With proper interventions, we can stop this vicious cycle by providing counseling to patients’ families to decrease the levels of malnourishment so that surgical care can be provided and children will no longer face these feeding difficulties.

Nutritional follow-up requires regular visits to monitor anthropometric data to assess if more counseling, supplements, or interventions are needed. Due to geographical, financial, and logistical constraints, many patients are not able to return as needed. This mobile health application will allow for an ASHA to collect this information at the child’s home. We will now be able to receive live up-to-date data alerting the nutrition team to the nutritional status of the patient. Because of this, children will be eligible for life saving surgery sooner, and enabling the team to identify emergency situations immediately.Image

What is next for GC4?

“GC4 has accomplished remarkable achievements and is fast gaining recognition from the most respected authorities in cleft care. We are now working with our team and partners to refine our processes and expand our services in comprehensive care. Together, we must continue to build the systems, practices, and team members that will systematically come up with solutions for children born with cleft lip, cleft palate, and other facial deformities,” said Dr. Alex Campbell, Medical Advisor and founding surgeon at the Guwahati Comprehensive Cleft Care Center (GC4). “Based on its conception and position, Guwahati has the opportunity to mature into one of the finest global centers in cleft care delivery, and to redefine quality healthcare delivery in the developing world. We hope that it will serve as one of the globe’s great success stories, and provide a blueprint for additional comprehensive centers within India and around the world. We see GC4 as beacon of hope, demonstrating that society’s most pressing and hopeless challenges are indeed surmountable.”

To read other posts in this exclusive ongoing series, please visit the Mobile Health Around the Globe main page. And if you have a Mobile Health Around the Globe story to tell, please post a comment below or email me at joan@socialmediatoday.com  Thanks!


 Original Post
 
 
 
TAGGED:IndiaOperation Smile
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

scientist using microscope
When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
Global Healthcare
June 18, 2025
How Therapy Can Improve Your Mental Health and Daily Life
How Therapy Can Improve Your Mental Health and Daily Life
Mental Health
June 18, 2025
healthcare facilities
Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
Global Healthcare Infographics
June 15, 2025
from gut to glow
From Plate to Wellness: How Everyday Foods Nourish Your Body Inside and Out
Dental health Infographics Specialties
June 15, 2025

You Might also Like

Get the Most Out of RSNA by Using the RSNA 2013 Mobile App

December 1, 2013

American Academy of Pediatrics Steps in False Statements Made During GOP Debate that Stated HPV Vaccine Causes Mental Retardation: American Academy of Pediatrics Steps In

September 14, 2011
Image
Medical InnovationsMobile HealthTechnology

Mobile Health Around the Globe: KTH Develops the BioPatch Sensor

June 24, 2013
typhoon haiyan displaces people
Global HealthcareNewsPublic Health

Pneumonia After Typhoon Haiyan: 4.3 Million Vulnerable to Illness

November 27, 2013
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?