When considering the communications platform to be used within your clinical trials, it is interesting to note that geographically there are subtle differences in how the end user is able to interface with your study. Infrastructure differences between the developed and developing world are often overlooked in study design and delegates at the recent CITA wireless 2010 conference were told that the mobile phone is becoming a great equalizer between the haves and have-nots around the world.
In the developed world, where there is a history of infrastructure deployment, the notion of wired telecommunications is almost taken for granted and as such this has instilled a more conservative behaviour into the population when it comes to the use of mobile communications. In stark contrast, such behaviours are not seen in the developing world, where the lack of investment in wired infrastructure has resulted in the have-nots readily exploiting the benefits that the wireless world has to offer. In the developing world mobile technology is seen as a fundamental component of every day life, going beyond the realms of an emergency communications method, it is readily used for everyday banking and e-commerce transactions. In Haiti for example, people use cell phones as mobile wallets, where they get paid via mobile credits that are later converted to cash.
In another example, delegates where told how in India in an effort to gain support for an environmentally friendly tree planting program, the government found that the details could be delivered to farmers more easily via one-to-one wireless communications than they could through normal government channels. Highlighting how wireless innovations were down at the level of the peasant farmer.
Delegates were also told how mobile communications technology is transforming the lives of people in need throughout the developed world. For example in the US, the White House recently set up a program called "Text4Baby" to help pregnant women get diet and medical tips several times a week. Expectant mothers can set up the service by texting the word baby, or bebe in Spanish, to 511411, at the time of the conference 25,000 mothers had already registered for the service.
The global acceptance of the cell phone as a key component of daily life means that Exco InTouch mobile technology is the ideal solution to support your global Clinical trials requirements.
Source
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9174181/CTIA_keynoters_tout_how_wireless_fills_social_needs
