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
    benefits of using protein powder to build muscles
    Protein Powder for Muscle Mass: Everything You Need to Know
    December 12, 2021
    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
    Latest News
    Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
    May 16, 2025
    Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
    May 16, 2025
    Choosing the Right Supplement Manufacturer for Your Brand
    May 1, 2025
    Engineering Temporary Hospitals for Extreme Weather
    April 24, 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
    FDA Approves Diabetes Pill
    May 2, 2011
    Patient Gets Drunk on Hand Sanitizer
    June 20, 2011
    Cultivating Health Improvement
    July 20, 2011
    Latest News
    Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
    May 18, 2025
    The Critical Role of Healthcare in Personal Injury Recovery: A Comprehensive Guide for Victims
    May 14, 2025
    The Backbone of Successful Trials: Clinical Data Management
    April 28, 2025
    Advancing Your Healthcare Career through Education and Specialization
    April 16, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Mobile Health Around the Globe: Russia Uses mHealth to Help High Risk Patients
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 > eHealth > Mobile Health > Mobile Health Around the Globe: Russia Uses mHealth to Help High Risk Patients
eHealthMobile Health

Mobile Health Around the Globe: Russia Uses mHealth to Help High Risk Patients

Sara Buzadzhi
Last updated: February 11, 2013 11:03 am
Sara Buzadzhi
Share
6 Min Read
Image
SHARE

The Health and Development Foundation, a Russian NGO working in public health communication and outreach, has developed an innovative mHealth program to create positive changes in the health behavior and knowledge of an at-risk population: clients with a history of injection drug use or HIV.  Image

The Problem

The Health and Development Foundation, a Russian NGO working in public health communication and outreach, has developed an innovative mHealth program to create positive changes in the health behavior and knowledge of an at-risk population: clients with a history of injection drug use or HIV.  Image

The Problem

More Read

Instagram-Healthcare-Marketing-Social-Media-Digital-Marketing.jpg
Instagram for Healthcare Marketing: Why it’s Not as Weird as it Sounds
When Is Social Media Anti-Social?
7 Helpful And Important Tips For Improving Patient Experience
Alleged Photo Leaks Prompt Question: Can Apple Keep Healthcare Data Secure?
Healthcare Landing Pages That Actually Work: The What, Why and How

Statistics on Russian HIV prevalence clearly indicate that the main factor in HIV transmission is injection drug use; an estimated 80% of all new cases of HIV infection from 1987 to 2008 were associated with injection drug use and opioid dependence, and the number of HIV+ women is also increasing [1]. This makes efforts to address the interconnected problems of HIV and injection drug use among women a critical element of measures aimed at improving maternal and child health in Russia (MDGs 4 and 5).

At the same time, organizations and institutions providing substance abuse and HIV/AIDS care and prevention in Russia have traditionally operated independently, with specialists in both spheres having limited knowledge of the other, lessening the effectiveness of client treatment. Clients are not referred from AIDS centers to substance abuse clinics and vice versa, increasing the likelihood that they will drop out of treatment.

This is particularly true of female IDUs/substance abusers, as the Russian health care system provides a limited range of specific “women-centered” treatment and rehabilitation centers for female substance abusers.

In addition, many approaches effective internationally are difficult to implement in the existing government structures, such as needle exchange programs, which have met with strong government resistance. The government system is also currently not flexible enough to carry out activities like outreach, so crucial to engaging the at-risk populations in question.Image

One Approach

The Health and Development Foundation has developed a program, “A Comprehensive mHealth Approach to Reaching At-Risk Women,” aimed at keeping the at-risk groups of women and new mothers who are HIV+ and/or have injection drug use in their medical history informed and connected to a multi-sectoral medical and social support network and system of care.

In 2010, the Health and Development Foundation launched a pilot version of this mHealth initiative in St. Petersburg. Clients who came to St. Petersburg Maternity Hospital No. 16, a hospital for high-risk patients, during pregnancy or for delivery were invited to join the program based on the following criteria: injection drug use in their medical history, experience as a commercial sex worker, or HIV+ status. Female clients were selected for the same criteria at St. Petersburg State Narcological Hospital.

Selected clients received individual counseling, and upon release from the hospital, these women received text Imagemessages, developed by relevant health care specialists, with content related to counseling topics: encouraging adherence to substance abuse treatment, the prevention and treatment of HIV and other infectious diseases, reproductive health, information on childcare, and more.

This mHealth pilot program was part of a comprehensive initiative in St. Petersburg intended to create a support system to ensure the most effective care for HIV and substance abuse risk groups through interagency and intersectoral collaboration, training of health care providers, utilization of NGO peer counselors, and HIV/substance abuse counseling for clients.

Both the initiative as a whole and the mHealth component showed positive results, with a high percentage of clients willing to participate, and M+E data show positive outcomes in terms of behavior change (more HIV tests and treatment received, a higher willingness to continue substance abuse treatment) and attitude of clients towards the text message service (the amount of clients who actively used text message information or saved texts as reference material).

These efforts created a support network for clients, helping to ensure a lower drop-out rate from the system of care by increasing referrals between different types of medical centers, by providing multi-faceted counseling for clients at a single location, and by enlisting the aid of peer counselors, as well as improving the skills of health care providers by interdisciplinary training.

The Future

This program is temporarily on hiatus due to lack of funding, but the regional network of experts, government supporters, and centers is still in place, as well as the text message platform used in the pilot. When funding is secured, HDF is prepared for a regional re-launch of both the woman-specific and larger program, both with the text-message component, and then to scale the program up to the national level.

1. Information Bulletin no 33 of the Russian Federal AIDS Center. Moscow 2009. Available at: http://hivrussia.org/files/bul­_33.pdf

 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!

TAGGED:AIDSdrug useHIVMobile Health Around the Globe
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Do You Grind Your Teeth at Night? Here’s How Night Guards and TMJ Treatments Can Help
Do You Grind Your Teeth at Night? Here’s How Night Guards and TMJ Treatments Can Help
Dental health
May 21, 2025
The Secret To A Confident Smile: Top Tips For Better Teeth
The Secret To A Confident Smile: Top Tips For Better Teeth
Dental health
May 21, 2025
Clinical Expertise
Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
Health care
May 18, 2025
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Health
May 15, 2025

You Might also Like

eHealthTechnology

Here’s The Real Truth About Online Medical Services

March 15, 2019
health-care-reform-overview
Health ReformMedical RecordsNewsPolicy & Law

Healthcare Reform’s Impact: Staff and Service Cuts Expected

December 15, 2011

Patients Prefer Physicians’ Recommendations of Health Apps

October 1, 2012

HIE: The Information Sharing Imperative

November 13, 2011
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?