The DOI matches its Crossref record; 69 of the 70 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
The role of digital health in making progress toward Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 in conflict-affected populations
Open accessAbstract
Purpose The progress of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) shows that sustained global action can achieve success. Despite the unprecedented achievements in health and education, more than one billion people, many of them in conflict-affected areas, were unable to reap the benefits of the MDG gains. The recently developed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are even more ambitious then their predecessor. SDG 3 prioritizes health and well-being for all ages in specific areas such as maternal mortality, communicable diseases, mental health, and healthcare workforce. However, without a shift in the approach used for conflict-affected areas, the world's most vulnerable people risk being left behind in global development yet again. We must engage in meaningful discussions about employing innovative strategies to address health challenges fragile, low-resource, and often remote settings. In this paper, we will argue that to meet the ambitious health goals of SDG 3, digital health can help to bridge healthcare gaps in conflict-affected areas. Methods First, we describe the health needs of populations in conflict-affected environments, and how they overlap with the SDG 3 targets. Secondly, we discuss how digital health can address the unique needs of conflict-affected areas. Finally, we evaluate the various challenges in deploying digital technologies in fragile environments, and discuss potential policy solutions. Discussion Persons in conflict-affected areas may benefit from the diffusive nature of digital health tools. Innovations using cellular technology or cloud-based solutions overcome physical barriers. Additionally, many of the targets of SDG 3 could see significant progress if efficacious education and outreach efforts were supported, and digital health in the form of mHealth and telehealth offers a relatively low-resource platform for these initiatives. Lastly, lack of data collection, especially in conflict-affected or otherwise fragile states, was one of the primary limitations of the MDGs. Greater investment in data collection efforts, supported by digital health technologies, is necessary if SDG 3 targets are to be measured and progress assessed. Standardized EMR systems as well as context-specific data warehousing efforts will assist in collecting and managing accurate data. Stakeholders such as patients, providers, and NGOs, must be proactive and collaborative in their efforts for continuous progress toward SDG 3. Digital health can assist in these inter-organizational communication efforts. Conclusion The SDGS are complex, ambitious, and comprehensive; even in the most stable environments, achieving full completion towards every goal will be difficult, and in conflict-affected environments, this challenge is much greater. By engaging in a collaborative framework and using the appropriate digital health tools, we can support humanitarian efforts to realize sustained progress in SDG 3 outcomes.
Overview
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Cloud-based systems have been promoted for their ability to transfer and store data irrespective of the trajectory of the migration journey.”
From Sijilli: a mobile electronic health records system for refugees in low-resource settings (2019) · cites this paper as [3]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Citations
Cites
Millennium Development Goals Report
Nationen, V. (2016) · Millennium development goals report · doi:10.18356/98544aa9-en · Cited by 1,683
Miller, K. E., & Rasmussen, A. (2010) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.09.029 · Cited by 1,524
A Taxonomy and Survey of Cloud Computing Systems
Rimal, B. P., Choi, E., & Lumb, L. I. (2009) · doi:10.1109/ncm.2009.218 · Cited by 1,322
Dynamic population mapping using mobile phone data
Deville, P., Linard, C., Martin, S., Gilbert, M., Stevens, F. R., Gaughan, A. E., Blondel, V. D., & Tatem, A. J. (2014) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1408439111 · Cited by 893
Källander, K., Tibenderana, J. K., Akpogheneta, O. J., Strachan, D. L., Hill, Z., ten Asbroek, A. H. A., Conteh, L., Kirkwood, B. R., & Meek, S. R. (2013) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/jmir.2130 · Cited by 653
‘Mobile’ Health Needs And Opportunities In Developing Countries
Kahn, J. G., Yang, J. S., & Kahn, J. S. (2010) · Health Affairs · doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2009.0965 · Cited by 408
Pedersen, D. (2002) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/s0277-9536(01)00261-1 · Cited by 390
Cost effectiveness analysis of strategies for maternal and neonatal health in developing countries
Adam, T., Lim, S. S., Mehta, S., Bhutta, Z. A., Fogstad, H., Mathai, M., Zupan, J., & Darmstadt, G. L. (2005) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7525.1107 · Cited by 366
Kim, S., Lee, K., Hwang, H. Y., & Yoo, S. (2015) · BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making · doi:10.1186/s12911-016-0249-8 · Cited by 321
Barriers for Adopting Electronic Health Records (EHRs) by Physicians
Ajami, ., & Bagheri-Tadi, T. (2013) · Acta Informatica Medica · doi:10.5455/aim.2013.21.129-134 · Cited by 319
E-health in low- and middle-income countries: findings from the Center for Health Market Innovations
Lewis, T., Synowiec, C., Lagomarsino, G., & Schweitzer, J. (2012) · Bulletin of the World Health Organization · doi:10.2471/blt.11.099820 · Cited by 319
SMS for disease control in developing countries: a systematic review of mobile health applications
Déglise, C., Suggs, L. S., & Odermatt, P. (2012) · Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare · doi:10.1258/jtt.2012.110810 · Cited by 240 · cited 1×
“Diseases targeted by SDG 3 may be alleviated by using SMS to increase communication/education, support behavioral change, and promote patient adherence [26].”
Dieleman, J. P., Romio, S., Johansen, K., Weibel, D. M., Bonhoeffer, J., Sturkenboom, M., & and the VAESCO-GBS Case-Control Study Group (2011) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.d3908 · Cited by 175
Biruk, S., Yilma, T. M., Andualem, M., & Tilahun, B. C. (2014) · BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making · doi:10.1186/s12911-014-0115-5 · Cited by 164
Contracting out health services in fragile states
Palmer, N., Strong, L., Wali, A., & Sondorp, E. (2006) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7543.718 · Cited by 141
Promoting health equity in conflict-affected fragile states
Bornemisza, O., Ranson, M. K., Poletti, T., & Sondorp, E. (2009) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.09.032 · Cited by 125
Canetti, D., Galea, S., Hall, B. J., Johnson, R. J., Palmieri, P. A., & Hobfoll, S. E. (2010) · Psychiatry · doi:10.1521/psyc.2010.73.3.219 · Cited by 113
Barriers in Adoption of Health Information Technology in Developing Societies
Anwar, F., & Shamim, A. (2011) · International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications · doi:10.14569/ijacsa.2011.020808 · Cited by 84
Change of pace: Accelerations and advances during the Millennium Development Goal era
McArthur, J. W., & Rasmussen, K. (2018) · World Development · doi:10.1016/j.worlddev.2017.12.030 · Cited by 82
Larson, B. A., Ngoma, T., Silumbe, K., Rutagwera, M.-R. I., Hamainza, B., Winters, A., Miller, J. M., & Scott, C. A. (2016) · Malaria Journal · doi:10.1186/s12936-016-1457-5 · Cited by 77
Schryver, M. D., Vindevogel, S., Rasmussen, A., & Cramer, A. O. J. (2015) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01896 · Cited by 74
Mesmar, S., Talhouk, R., Akik, C., Olivier, P., Elhajj, I. H., Elbassuoni, S., Armoush, S., Kalot, J., Balaam, M., Germani, A., et al. (2016) · Journal of Public Health Policy · doi:10.1057/s41271-016-0040-1 · Cited by 70
Providing surgery in a war-torn context: the Médecins Sans Frontières experience in Syria
Trelles, M., Dominguez, L. B., Tayler‐Smith, K., Kisswani, K., Zerboni, A., Vandenborre, T., Dallatomasina, S., Rahmoun, A., & Ferir, M.-C. (2015) · Conflict and Health · doi:10.1186/s13031-015-0064-3 · Cited by 66
On-the-fly establishment of multihop wireless access networks for disaster recovery
Minh, Q. T., Nguyen, K. T., Borcea, C., & Yamada, S. (2014) · IEEE Communications Magazine · doi:10.1109/mcom.2014.6917403 · Cited by 64
Telemedicine and mobile health with integrative medicine in developing countries
Kamsu-Foguem, B., & Foguem, C. (2014) · Health Policy and Technology · doi:10.1016/j.hlpt.2014.08.008 · Cited by 64
The recent outbreaks and reemergence of poliovirus in war and conflict-affected areas
Akil, L., & Ahmad, H. A. (2016) · International Journal of Infectious Diseases · doi:10.1016/j.ijid.2016.05.025 · Cited by 64
Smitz, M., Witter, S., Lemière, C., Eozenou, P., Lievens, T., Zaman, R. U., Engelhardt, K., & Hou, X. (2016) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0165940 · Cited by 63
Clifford, K., & Zaman, M. H. (2016) · Global Health Action · doi:10.3402/gha.v9.30175 · Cited by 61
Usage of Multilingual Mobile Translation Applications in Clinical Settings
Albrecht, U.-V., Behrends, M., Matthies, H. K., & von Jan, U. (2013) · JMIR mhealth and uhealth · doi:10.2196/mhealth.2268 · Cited by 60
Multiband Fractal Antenna for Wireless Communication Systems for Emergency Management
Lizzi, L., Azaro, R., Oliveri, G., & Massa, A. (2012) · Journal of Electromagnetic Waves and Applications · doi:10.1163/156939312798954865 · Cited by 59
Sæbø, J. I., Kossi, E. K., Titlestad, O. H., Tohouri, R.-R., & Braa, J. A. (2011) · Information Technology for Development · doi:10.1080/02681102.2010.511702 · Cited by 59
Audet, A., Squires, D. A., & Doty, M. M. (2013) · Health Services Research · doi:10.1111/1475-6773.12139 · Cited by 56
Mobile mental health interventions following war and disaster
Ruzek, J. I., Kuhn, E. R., Jaworski, B. K., Owen, J. E., & Ramsey, K. M. (2016) · mHealth · doi:10.21037/mhealth.2016.08.06 · Cited by 56
Social, U. N. E. A. (2010) · Journal of Health Communication · doi:10.1080/10810730.2010.499996 · Cited by 54
Haskew, J., Rø, G., Turner, K., Kimanga, D., Sirengo, M., & Sharif, S. (2015) · PLOS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0135361 · Cited by 52
Creating Local Learning Health Systems
Smoyer, W. E., Embí, P. J., & Moffatt, S. D. (2016) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.2016.16459 · Cited by 51
Health Information Technology Interoperability and Use for Better Care and Evidence
Perlin, J. B. (2016) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.2016.12337 · Cited by 50
Woodward, A., Fyfe, M., Handuleh, J. I. M., Patel, P., Godman, B., Leather, A. J. M., & Finlayson, A. E. T. (2014) · Human Resources for Health · doi:10.1186/1478-4491-12-22 · Cited by 49
Conflict and the Millennium Development Goals
Stewart, F. (2003) · Journal of Human Development · doi:10.1080/1464988032000125737 · Cited by 45
Access to health for refugees in Greece: lessons in inequalities
Kousoulis, A. A., Ioakeim‐Ioannidou, M., & Economopoulos, K. P. (2016) · International Journal for Equity in Health · doi:10.1186/s12939-016-0409-6 · Cited by 43
Engaging with Fragile and Conflict-Affected StatesPreprint
Woolcock, M. J. V. (2014) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.2493166 · Cited by 43
Larocca, A., Visconti, R. M., & Marconi, M. (2016) · Malaria Journal · doi:10.1186/s12936-016-1546-5 · Cited by 40
Language Barriers and Health of Syrian Refugees in Germany
Green, M. (2017) · American Journal of Public Health · doi:10.2105/ajph.2016.303676 · Cited by 35
Akol, A. D., Caluwaerts, S., & Weeks, A. D. (2016) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.i2037 · Cited by 35
A framework for post-disaster communication using wireless ad hoc networks
Ray, N. K., & Turuk, A. K. (2016) · Integration · doi:10.1016/j.vlsi.2016.11.011 · Cited by 28
Prenatal metal exposure in the Middle East: imprint of war in deciduous teeth of children
Savabieasfahani, M., Ali, S., Bacho, R., Savabi, O., & Al-Sabbak, M. (2016) · Environmental Monitoring and Assessment · doi:10.1007/s10661-016-5491-0 · Cited by 26
Kentoffio, K., Kraemer, J. D., Griffiths, T., Kenny, A., Panjabi, R., Sechler, G. A., Selinsky, S., & Siedner, M. J. (2016) · BMC Health Services Research · doi:10.1186/s12913-016-1709-7 · Cited by 25
Kahouei, M., Zadeh, J. M., & Roghani, P. S. (2015) · International Journal of Medical Informatics · doi:10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2014.12.006 · Cited by 25
Medical Care in Palestine: Working in a Conflict Zone.
Keelan, E. (2016) · PubMed Central · Cited by 25
Enabling Humanitarian Use of Mobile Phone Data
de Montjoye, Y.-A., Kendall, J., & Kerry, C. F. (2019) · The MIT Press eBooks · doi:10.7551/mitpress/12439.003.0010 · Cited by 24
Experts sound alarm as Syrian crisis fuels spread of tuberculosis
Cousins, S. (2014) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.g7397 · Cited by 23
Bell, K. R., Brockway, J. A., Fann, J. R., Cole, W. R., Lore, J. S. D., Bush, N. E., Lang, A. J., Hart, T., Warren, M., DIKMEN, S. S., et al. (2014) · Contemporary Clinical Trials · doi:10.1016/j.cct.2014.11.001 · Cited by 22
Facilitating mental health screening of war-torn populations using mobile applications
Hashemi, B., Ali, S., Awaad, R. Y., Soudi, L., Housel, L., & Sosebee, S. J. (2016) · Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology · doi:10.1007/s00127-016-1303-7 · Cited by 22
The design of wearable medical device for triaging disaster casualties in developing countries
Niswar, M., Wijaya, A. S., Ridwan, M., Adnan, A., Ilham, A. A., Sadjad, R. S., & Vogel, A. (2015) · International Conference on Digital Information Processing and Communications · doi:10.1109/icdipc.2015.7323030 · Cited by 20
Biegler, K. A., Mollica, R. F., Sim, S. E., Nicholas, E. A., Chandler, M., Ngo‐Metzger, Q., Paigne, K., Paigne, S., Nguyen, D. V., & Sorkin, D. H. (2016) · Contemporary Clinical Trials · doi:10.1016/j.cct.2016.07.001 · Cited by 18
Sa’Da, C. A., Duroch, F., & Taithe, B. O. (2013) · International Review of the Red Cross · doi:10.1017/s1816383114000186 · Cited by 17
Assuring quality education and learning: Lessons from Education for All
Benavot, A. (2016) · Prospects · doi:10.1007/s11125-016-9386-1 · Cited by 17
Bernardi, R., & Chiara, F. D. (2011) · Information Technology for Development · doi:10.1080/02681102.2010.511699 · Cited by 14
Supporting global health goals with information and communications technology
Boman, M., & Kruse, E. (2017) · Global Health Action · doi:10.1080/16549716.2017.1321904 · Cited by 11
Treating drug-resistant tuberculosis in a low-intensity chronic conflict setting in India
Armstrong, E., Das, M., Mansoor, H., Babu, R. B., & Isaakidis, P. (2014) · Conflict and Health · doi:10.1186/1752-1505-8-25 · Cited by 10
Connecting the MDGs and NCDs with Digital Health
Ratzan, S. C. (2011) · Journal of Health Communication · doi:10.1080/10810730.2011.600623 · Cited by 7
War Experiences and General Health Among People in Bosnia‐Herzegovina and Kosovo
Ringdal, G. I., & Ringdal, K. (2016) · Journal of Traumatic Stress · doi:10.1002/jts.22074 · Cited by 5
Delivering healthcare in situations of conflict or violence
Nathanson, V. (2011) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.d4671 · Cited by 5
Wind energy converters and photovoltaics for generation of electricity after natural disasters
Olauson, J., Goude, A., & Bergkvist, M. (2014) · Geografiska Annaler Series A Physical Geography · doi:10.1111/geoa.12052 · Cited by 4
Sustainable Health: The Bedrock for Sustainable African Development
Chiedozie, N. (2016) · ICUS and Nursing Web Journal · Cited by 3
Deployment of Wi‐Fi network as an emergency survival communication network in Wakkanai, Hokkaido
Gautam, B. P., & Wasaki, K. (2015) · IEEJ Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Engineering · doi:10.1002/tee.22165 · Cited by 2
Wireless Monitoring Systems for Enhancing National Health Services in Developing Regions
Basholli, A., Λάγκας, Θ., Eleftherakis, G., & Bath, P. A. (2014) · International Conference on Health Informatics · doi:10.5220/0004913905110516 · Cited by 2
Health Literacy and the Millennium Development Goals in Nigeria
Enuku, U. E., Oyitso, M., & Enuku, C. A. (2010) · Cited by 2
Kentoffio, K., Kraemer, J. D., Griffiths, T., Kenny, A., Panjabi, R., Sechler, G. A., Selinsky, S., & Siedner, M. J. (2016) · doi:10.5072/fk2.stagefigshare.c.2710504_d1.v1 · Cited by 1
Research works printed but not linked: 2
- Azad, 2015, Mental health challenges and solution in low and middle income countries −a health system perspective, Pak. Armed Forces Med. J., 6, 843
- Bosco, 2016, Teaching practice and ICT in Catalonia: consequences of educational policies, KEDI J. Educ. Policy, 13, 201
Cited by
Sorted by citations
The UCL–Lancet Commission on Migration and Health: the health of a world on the move
Abubakar, I., Aldridge, R. W., Devakumar, D., Orcutt, M., Burns, R., Barreto, M. L., Dhavan, P., Fouad, F. M., Groce, N., Guo, Y., et al. (2018) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(18)32114-7 · Cited by 941
Barteit, S., Lanfermann, L., Bärnighausen, T., Neuhann, F., & Beiersmann, C. (2021) · JMIR Serious Games · doi:10.2196/29080 · Cited by 618
Sustainable Management of Digital Transformation in Higher Education: Global Research Trends
Abad-Segura, E., González-Zamar, M.-D., Infante-Moro, J. C., & Ruipérez García, G. (2020) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su12052107 · Cited by 540
Sustainability through digital transformation: A systematic literature review for research guidance
Guandalini, I. (2022) · Journal of Business Research · doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.05.003 · Cited by 528
Larrañaga-Tapia, M., Tovar, B. B., Videa, M. F., Antunes‐Ricardo, M., & Cholula-Diaz, J. L. (2023) · Nanoscale Advances · doi:10.1039/d3na00761h · Cited by 122
Metadata
- Authors
- Asi, Y. M., & Williams, C.
- Affiliations
- University of Central Florida (US)
- University of North Florida (US)
- Corresponding author
- Asi, Yara M.
- Venue
- International Journal of Medical Informatics
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2018-06
- Volume
- 114
- Pages
- 114-120
- ISSN
- 1386-5056 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2767837851
- Cited by
- 187
- References
- 70
- Citations by year
- 2026: 14 · 2025: 39 · 2024: 33 · 2023: 23 · 2022: 28 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 7
- FWCI
- 12.86
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- Locations
- International Journal of Medical Informatics (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- University of North Florida Digital Commons (University of North Florida) (submittedVersion)
- Journal of International Crisis and Risk Communication Research (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health and Conflict Studies
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Information Systems › ICT in Developing Communities
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Mobile Health and mHealth Applications
- Keywords
- digital health, Sustainable Development Goal 3, conflict-affected populations, fragile states, mobile health, telemedicine, maternal mortality, mental health, healthcare workforce, health data collection, electronic health records, data warehousing, humanitarian health, resource-limited settings, health policy, Millennium Development Goals, health equity, inter-organizational collaboration, cellular technology, cloud solutions
- MeSH terms
- Sustainable Development, Conflict, Psychological, Delivery of Health Care, Goals, Health Resources, Humans, Stress, Psychological, Global Health, Telemedicine
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
