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Barriers and benefits of mHealth for community health workers in integrated community case management of childhood diseases in Banda Parish, Kampala, Uganda: a cross-sectional study.
- Source :
- BMC Primary Care; 5/20/2024, Vol. 25 Issue 1, p1-13, 13p
- Publication Year :
- 2024
-
Abstract
- Background: Low-quality data presents a significant challenge for community health workers (CHWs) in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). Mobile health (mHealth) applications offer a solution by enabling CHWs to record and submit data electronically. However, the barriers and benefits of mHealth usage among CHWs in informal urban settlements remain poorly understood. This study sought to determine the barriers and benefits of mHealth among CHWs in Banda parish, Kampala. Methods: This qualitative study involved 12 key informant interviews (KIIs) among focal persons from Kampala City Council Authority (KCCA) and NGOs involved in data collected by CHWs, and officials from the Ministry of Health (MOH) and two mixed-sex Focused Group Discussions (FGDs) of CHWs from Banda parish, Kampala district. Data analysis utilised Atlas Ti Version 7.5.7. Thematic analysis was conducted, and themes were aligned with the social-ecological model. Results: Three themes of institutional and policy, community and interpersonal, and individual aligning to the Social ecological model highlighted the factors contributing to barriers and the benefits of mHealth among CHWs for iCCM. The key barriers to usability, acceptability and sustainability included high training costs, CHW demotivation, infrastructure limitations, data security concerns, community awareness deficits, and skill deficiencies. Conversely, mHealth offers benefits such as timely data submission, enhanced data quality, geo-mapping capabilities, improved CHW performance monitoring, community health surveillance, cost-effective reporting, and CHW empowering with technology. Conclusion: Despite limited mHealth experience, CHWs expressed enthusiasm for its potential. Implementation was viewed as a solution to multiple challenges, facilitating access to health information, efficient data reporting, and administrative processes, particularly in resource-constrained settings. Successful mHealth implementation requires addressing CHWs' demotivation, ensuring reliable power and network connectivity, and enhancing capacity for digital data ethics and management. By overcoming these barriers, mHealth can significantly enhance healthcare delivery at the community level, leveraging technology to optimize resource utilization and improve health outcomes. mHealth holds promise for transforming CHW practices, yet its effective integration necessitates targeted interventions to address systemic challenges and ensure sustainable implementation in LMIC contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- INTERNET & economics
COMMUNITY health services
MOBILE apps
PUBLIC health infrastructure
DATA security
PUBLIC health surveillance
INTERNET access
ELECTRIC power supplies to apparatus
QUALITATIVE research
COST effectiveness
SELF-efficacy
RESEARCH funding
COST benefit analysis
CELL phones
THEMATIC analysis
ELECTRONIC data interchange
MOTIVATION (Psychology)
SOUND recordings
ABILITY
GEOGRAPHIC information systems
TECHNOLOGY
TRUST
COMMUNITY health workers
PUBLIC health
DATA analysis software
DATA quality
MANAGEMENT of medical records
LITERACY
COMMITMENT (Psychology)
PSYCHOSOCIAL factors
COGNITION
TRAINING
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 27314553
- Volume :
- 25
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- BMC Primary Care
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 177351100
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-024-02430-4