HHS Announces Mobile Health Recommendations, Initiatives

On Monday, HHS announced new recommendations and initiatives related to mobile health programs and health-related text messaging campaigns, Healthcare IT News reports (Merrill, Healthcare IT News, 9/19).

Recommendations

In November 2010, federal officials established the Text4Health Task Force to develop recommendations on how HHS could play a role in health-related text messaging campaigns (Zigmond, Modern Healthcare, 9/19).

The task force now has released recommendations calling for HHS to:

• Develop and host evidence-based libraries of health-related text messages;
• Gather evidence on the effectiveness of health-related text messaging programs; and
• Pursue partnerships to establish and implement health-related text messaging campaigns and mobile health programs (Healthcare IT News, 9/19).

New Smoking Cessation Initiatives

In addition, HHS announced that the National Cancer Institute has launched two mobile health initiatives focused on smoking cessation.

NCI’s new programs partly are modeled after the Text4Baby campaign led by the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition. The Text4Baby campaign allows pregnant women to sign up to receive no-cost text messages pertinent to their health (Goedert, Health Data Management, 9/19).

Both of NCI’s new programs allow users to sign up for text messages that offer encouragement, facts and tips about smoking cessation. The two initiatives are:

• QuitNowTXT, which targets adult smokers; and
• SmokeFreeTXT, which targets teenagers and young adults who smoke (Healthcare IT News, 9/19).

Source: iHealthBeat

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