A comparative review of mobile health and electronic health utilization in sub-Saharan African countries

Bervell, Brandford; Al-Samarraie, Hosam

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.04.024

Cited by 54 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 86 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…In the developing world, the potential for mobile phones to overcome barriers and increase access to healthcare services, especially for those in rural and underserved communities, has resulted in significant interest and investment in mHealth initiatives [23,26,34,35]. In particular, the use of mobile short messaging service (SMS) to convey health information directly to individuals, is being utilized to promote public awareness about health issues such as maternal and child health, and programmes to reduce the burden of preventable diseases such as malaria and HIV/AIDS [26,34,36]. However, to date, the use of SMS in rabies vaccination campaigns has been limited, especially in SSA [37].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors associated with mobile phone ownership and potential use for rabies vaccination campaigns in southern Malawi

Marron

Thomas²,

Bailey³

et al. 2020

Infect Dis Poverty

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Rabies is a fatal but preventable viral disease, which causes an estimated 59 000 human deaths globally every year. The vast majority of human rabies cases are attributable to bites from infected domestic dogs and consequently control of rabies in the dog population through mass vaccination campaigns is considered the most effective method of eliminating the disease. Achieving the WHO target of 70% vaccination coverage has proven challenging in low-resource settings such as Sub Saharan Africa, and lack of public awareness about rabies vaccination campaigns is a major barrier to their success. In this study we surveyed communities in three districts in Southern Malawi to assess the extent of and socioeconomic factors associated with mobile phone ownership and explore the attitudes of communities towards the use of short message service (SMS) to inform them of upcoming rabies vaccination clinics. Methods: This study was carried out between 1 October-3 December 2018 during the post-vaccination assessment of the annual dog rabies campaign in Blantyre, Zomba and Chiradzulu districts, Malawi. 1882 questionnaires were administered to households in 90 vaccination zones. The surveys gathered data on mobile phone ownership and use, and barriers to mobile phone access. A multivariable regression model was used to understand factors related to mobile phone ownership. Results: Most survey respondents owned or had use of a mobile phone, however there was evidence of an inequality of access, with higher education level, living in Blantyre district and being male positively associated with mobile phone ownership. The principal barrier to mobile phone ownership was the cost of the phone itself. Basic feature phones were most common and few owned smartphones. SMS was commonly used and the main reason for not using SMS was illiteracy. Attitudes to receiving SMS reminders about future rabies vaccination campaigns were positive.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors associated with mobile phone ownership and potential use for rabies vaccination campaigns in southern Malawi

Marron

Thomas²,

Bailey³

et al. 2020

Infect Dis Poverty

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This timeframe coincides with the emergence of WHO guidance on digital interventions for health systems 11 and recognises the rapidly changing nature of digital technology. Building on our previous reviews of two-way digital clinical communication [12][13][14][15][16][17][18] , with added parameters for LMIC contexts, we identified seven systematic reviews [19][20][21][22][23][24][25] and five empirical studies [26][27][28][29][30] involving mConsulting in LMICs, as per our definition 7 (see, Appendix 1, for our search strategy).…”

Section: Conceptual Framework: Access In a Complex Adaptive Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The seven reviews included studies from a range of LMIC countries [19][20][21][22][23][24][25] , while the empirical studies were from Ghana 30 , Kenya 28 , Bangladesh 26,29 and India 27 . mConsulting was used in maternal, newborn and child health care in two reviews 24,25 and four studies [27][28][29][30] .…”

Section: Conceptual Framework: Access In a Complex Adaptive Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mobile consulting (mConsulting) as an option for accessing healthcare services for communities in remote rural areas and urban slums in low- and middle- income countries: A mixed methods study

Harris

Ajisola

Alam

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

ObjectiveRemote or mobile consulting (mConsulting) is being promoted to strengthen health systems, deliver universal health coverage and facilitate safe clinical communication during COVID-19 and beyond. We explored whether mConsulting is a viable option for communities with minimal resources in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).MethodsWe reviewed evidence published since 2018 about mConsulting in LMICs and undertook a scoping study (pre-COVID) in two rural settings (Pakistan, Tanzania) and five urban slums (Kenya, Nigeria, Bangladesh), using policy/document review, secondary analysis of survey data (from the urban sites), and thematic analysis of interviews/workshops with community members, healthcare workers, digital/telecommunications experts, mConsulting providers, local and national decision-makers. Project advisory groups guided the study in each country.ResultsWe reviewed five empirical studies and seven reviews, analysed data from 5,219 urban slum households and engaged with 419 stakeholders in rural and urban sites. Regulatory frameworks are available in each country. mConsulting services are operating through provider platforms (n=5-17) and, at community-level, some direct experience of mConsulting with healthcare workers using their own phones was reported - for emergencies, advice and care follow-up. Stakeholder willingness was high, provided challenges are addressed in technology, infrastructure, data security, confidentiality, acceptability and health system integration. mConsulting can reduce affordability barriers and facilitate care-seeking practices.ConclusionsThere are indications of readiness for mConsulting in communities with minimal resources. However, wider system strengthening is needed to bolster referrals, specialist services, laboratories and supply-chains to fully realise the continuity of care and responsiveness that mConsulting services offer, particularly during/beyond COVID-19.

show abstract

“…However, mobile wearable devices have limited capacities of computing and storage. Computer technology is needed to collate and analyze the data collected by these devices [9][10][11]. At present, there are only a few preliminary PISs for enterprises to provide services.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Novel Public Information System for Mobile Geriatric Medical Services

Kai¹,

Zhang²,

Li³

et al. 2019

RIA

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The public information system (PIS) has long been recognized for its positive impacts on information asset management in mobile health industry. However, the existing PISs of mobile geriatric medical services face several problems: the lack of standardization, unclear business orientation and unknown attributes of the mobile Internet. To solve the problems, this paper constructs a novel PIS for mobile geriatric medical services. Specifically, the matching relation between industrial structure (S) and enterprise cultivation (C) was coupled with the structureconduct-performance (SCP) paradigm. Through the integration, the PIS was conceptualized based on the non-financial indices of balanced scorecard (BSC). Several hypotheses were put forward on the dimensions of mobile medical industry for the elderly, and then verified through a questionnaire survey and data analysis on SPSS 22.0 and Smart PLS 2.0. The data analysis also proves the good fitting effect of the proposed system. The research findings shed important new light on the optimization and upgrading of mobile medical industry for the elderly.

show abstract

A comparative review of mobile health and electronic health utilization in sub-Saharan African countries

Cited by 54 publications

References 86 publications

Factors associated with mobile phone ownership and potential use for rabies vaccination campaigns in southern Malawi

Factors associated with mobile phone ownership and potential use for rabies vaccination campaigns in southern Malawi

Mobile consulting (mConsulting) as an option for accessing healthcare services for communities in remote rural areas and urban slums in low- and middle- income countries: A mixed methods study

A Novel Public Information System for Mobile Geriatric Medical Services

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About