from: http://imprint.uwaterloo.ca/2010/nov/26/news/campus-watch/

Master student Michael Mak is eager to help diabetes sufferers amongst Canada's First Nations communities to better cope with the disease ­and so he has decided text messaging would be the best way.

Mak is currently working in the northwestern Ontario town of Sioux Lookout. He helps the Keewaytinook Okimakanak, a non-political council of chiefs, develop IT resources with its First Nation Partners.

Mak has seen the devasting effects that diabetes has had on patients in indigenous communities.

Mak decided to harness the power of cell phones because of the relatively high number of indigenous citizens owning a cell phone compared to internet access.

The system entails utilizing the cell phones in a way that health care workers can communicate with patients suffering from diabetes, with hopes that their standard of living with the disease improves.

“We focus so much on ensuring that the quality of Canadian health care is high, but health care in First Nations communities is completely off the radar,” said Mak. “This sort of technology can help connect those living with diabetes with health care professionals who can help them better understand how to treat the disease.”

Diabetes workers involved in the system are armed with cell phones and a computer software program that allows their patients to receive text message reminders and health tips. There are high hopes for the future of this system, including allowing patients to schedule their own appointments and ask specific questions through text messaging.

“I learned about some of the major issues facing Canada's First Nations communities in an elective course I took, and I became very concerned,” said Mak. “By working in this area I really hope to challenge students to better understand those issues and develop ways to solve them.”

Mak's idea recently made him the first McMaster student to win the AGFA Health Care Innovation Challenge. This year the Challenge asked students to come up with a solution to a current challenge associated with universal access, privacy, and ease of use pertaining to disease diagnosis, medical treatment and overall healthcare managment.

Mak's submission was chosen out of more than 60 proposals across the province and earned him his choice of a $3,000 scholarship or a summer job with AGFA.