Research on the move: the potential applications of mobile health technology in travel medicine

Modern travel is highly reliant on technology, with online flight and hotel reservations, tourist blogs, e-Visa applications and satellite navigation becoming the norm for travellers. Many functions previously ascribed to desktop computers have migrated to mobile smartphones and it is commonplace to witness the majority of passengers on some international flights presenting their Quick Response code on a handheld device instead of a paper-boarding pass. Mobile technology has been comfortably adopted by all age groups. Global wireless infrastructure has tried to keep pace with this increase in demand from the traveller who increasingly chooses to be ‘on the grid’. According to the International Telecommunication Union, 95% of the world’s population live in an area served by a mobile-cellular network, with mobile-broadband networks of 3G or higher reaching 84% of the global population and 67% of rural dwellers.1 There are currently over 7 billion mobile-cellular telephone subscriptions worldwide.1 A recent analysis of mobile applications for travellers and their healthcare providers concluded that there is scope for the development of more reliable and more frequently updated ‘apps’ that consolidate travel health information from multiple sources.2 Social media have opened up new opportunities for travellers to interact with … To whom corresponding should be addressed. Phone: +353-91495469, Fax: +353-91494540, Email: gerard.flaherty{at}nuigalway.ie