[Re: https://www.hifa.org/dgroups-rss/mhealth-innovate-8-introduction-claire-... ]
Hi Claire,
Many thanks for your self-introduction as one of the Principal Investigators for this research project. It's been great to work with you and others on the team.
What is the back story? How did the researchers and/or Research Council of Norway become interested in this topic? Was the theme developed by a particular researcher or group of researchers, or perhaps as part of a package of topics on mHealth?
"As we learn more about this type of informal behaviour, our understanding has become a bit more nuanced... breaches in patient privacy and confidentiality... own phones can help humanise healthcare... weakens the formal system..."
You've usefully outlined some of the advantages and disadvantages of informal phone use.
"We think that some level of regulation is probably necessary, for instance, to protect patient confidentiality..."
Is this something you found to be a consensus in the primary research studies in Uganda and/or is it more of a statement by the researchers, based on all the research so far (HIFA discussion 2022/3; systematic review 2023/4; primary research Uganda 2024)? We'll be focusing on strategies for ways forward in the thematic discussion phase of our work, from April 22 to May 25, but suggestions are welcome at any stage.
"We look forward to hearing HIFA members’ thoughts about this phenomenon, why it happens and if and how it should be addressed."
Yes, my first thought is that using one's own mobile phone through voice calls to communicate with patients or other health workers is an extension of one's voice face-to-face, and guidance on such use would reflect guidance on how one should communicate face-to-face (is there such guidance?). The difference with mobile phones is that messages (or other content such as photos) may be exchanged as text or attachments, and this specifically has potential for breaches of privacy and confidentiality.
We'll be looking at all these issues in depth over the coming days on HIFA, introducing 10 topics/aspects with accompanying questions. I look forward to hear from other researchers in the team, and from HIFA members at large.
Best wishes, Neil
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org