[Re: https://www.hifa.org/dgroups-rss/mhealth-innovate-19-why-are-health-work... ]
Hi Pratap
Thanks for sharing this. You are right that smartphone availability is only a starting point.
Another interesting point is the pressure that healthcare workers may experience to use their personal phone or get a smartphone. In our review of qualitative studies on informal uses of mobile phones, one study reported that a manager had suggested that healthcare workers purchase a smartphone and install whatsapp as this would make it easier for him to communicate with them.
Have others seen examples of this kind of pressure in their settings?
Best wishes
Simon
(One of the mHealth-Innovate project researchers)
HIFA profile: Simon Lewin is a health systems researcher at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) (https://www.ntnu.edu/employees/simon.lewin), the South African Medical Research Council (www.mrc.ac.za) and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (https://www.fhi.no/en/kn/ceir/). He has a keen interest in how research evidence can be used to inform decisions for health systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and at the global level in multilateral organisations such as the WHO. As Co-Lead of Cochrane People, Health Systems and Public Health, he has played a key role in strengthening Cochrane’s work in the field of health systems and in developing Cochrane methods for qualitative evidence synthesis. Cochrane is a HIFA supporting organisation and Simon is a member of three HIFA working groups: CHWs; mHealth-Innovate (informal use of mobile phones by health workers) and Support-Systems - How can decision-making processes for health systems strengthening and universal health coverage be made more inclusive, responsive and accountable? https://www.hifa.org/support/members/simon simon.lewin AT ntnu.no