While mobile health units are increasingly being used to reach underserved communities, we still know very little about how people actually experience care in these spaces. Most evaluations focus on logistics or cost—missing the human and relational aspects that truly define successful care.
About the study
This project explores how mobile health units (MHUs)—vans, buses, and other vehicles offering health services—can do more than just improve access to care. We’re examining how mobile care creates meaningful social relationships between patients and providers, builds community trust, and fosters a deeper sense of wellness beyond traditional healthcare settings. This study offers new ways to think about healthcare design, especially as we rebuild after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods
By focusing on experiences rather than just outcomes, we aim to understand how mobile healthcare disrupts conventional health systems, particularly for equity-deserving communities often excluded from institutional care.
This is a scoping review of over 50 global studies that explore the experiences of patients and healthcare providers using mobile health units. We looked specifically at how people relate to mobile care—not just in terms of convenience or access, but also trust, privacy, continuity and community-building.
Using an inductive thematic analysis, we grouped findings into five major themes: accessibility, continuity, comfort, privacy, and trust. These themes reveal both the benefits and tensions of delivering health services on the move—insights that are often missed in conventional research.
Impact
We hope the findings will inform the design of mobile health programs that prioritize dignity, trust, and community connection. Policymakers and health system leaders can use this evidence to support mobile health as a powerful equity intervention—not just for reaching people, but for relating to them differently.
By understanding what works (and what doesn’t), this research can also guide future investments in mobile health infrastructure, workforce training, and community partnership models.
