Health workers' perceptions and experiences of using mHealth technologies to deliver primary healthcare services: a qualitative evidence synthesis
- PMID: 32216074
- PMCID: PMC7098082
- DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD011942.pub2
Health workers' perceptions and experiences of using mHealth technologies to deliver primary healthcare services: a qualitative evidence synthesis
Abstract
Background: Mobile health (mHealth), refers to healthcare practices supported by mobile devices, such as mobile phones and tablets. Within primary care, health workers often use mobile devices to register clients, track their health, and make decisions about care, as well as to communicate with clients and other health workers. An understanding of how health workers relate to, and experience mHealth, can help in its implementation.
Objectives: To synthesise qualitative research evidence on health workers' perceptions and experiences of using mHealth technologies to deliver primary healthcare services, and to develop hypotheses about why some technologies are more effective than others.
Search methods: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Science Citation Index and Social Sciences Citation Index in January 2018. We searched Global Health in December 2015. We screened the reference lists of included studies and key references and searched seven sources for grey literature (16 February to 5 March 2018). We re-ran the search strategies in February 2020. We screened these records and any studies that we identified as potentially relevant are awaiting classification.
Selection criteria: We included studies that used qualitative data collection and analysis methods. We included studies of mHealth programmes that were part of primary healthcare services. These services could be implemented in public or private primary healthcare facilities, community and workplace, or the homes of clients. We included all categories of health workers, as well as those persons who supported the delivery and management of the mHealth programmes. We excluded participants identified as technical staff who developed and maintained the mHealth technology, without otherwise being involved in the programme delivery. We included studies conducted in any country.
Data collection and analysis: We assessed abstracts, titles and full-text papers according to the inclusion criteria. We found 53 studies that met the inclusion criteria and sampled 43 of these for our analysis. For the 43 sampled studies, we extracted information, such as country, health worker category, and the mHealth technology. We used a thematic analysis process. We used GRADE-CERQual to assess our confidence in the findings.
Main results: Most of the 43 included sample studies were from low- or middle-income countries. In many of the studies, the mobile devices had decision support software loaded onto them, which showed the steps the health workers had to follow when they provided health care. Other uses included in-person and/or text message communication, and recording clients' health information. Almost half of the studies looked at health workers' use of mobile devices for mother, child, and newborn health. We have moderate or high confidence in the following findings. mHealth changed how health workers worked with each other: health workers appreciated being more connected to colleagues, and thought that this improved co-ordination and quality of care. However, some described problems when senior colleagues did not respond or responded in anger. Some preferred face-to-face connection with colleagues. Some believed that mHealth improved their reporting, while others compared it to "big brother watching". mHealth changed how health workers delivered care: health workers appreciated how mHealth let them take on new tasks, work flexibly, and reach clients in difficult-to-reach areas. They appreciated mHealth when it improved feedback, speed and workflow, but not when it was slow or time consuming. Some health workers found decision support software useful; others thought it threatened their clinical skills. Most health workers saw mHealth as better than paper, but some preferred paper. Some health workers saw mHealth as creating more work. mHealth led to new forms of engagement and relationships with clients and communities: health workers felt that communicating with clients by mobile phone improved care and their relationships with clients, but felt that some clients needed face-to-face contact. Health workers were aware of the importance of protecting confidential client information when using mobile devices. Some health workers did not mind being contacted by clients outside working hours, while others wanted boundaries. Health workers described how some community members trusted health workers that used mHealth while others were sceptical. Health workers pointed to problems when clients needed to own their own phones. Health workers' use and perceptions of mHealth could be influenced by factors tied to costs, the health worker, the technology, the health system and society, poor network access, and poor access to electricity: some health workers did not mind covering extra costs. Others complained that phone credit was not delivered on time. Health workers who were accustomed to using mobile phones were sometimes more positive towards mHealth. Others with less experience, were sometimes embarrassed about making mistakes in front of clients or worried about job security. Health workers wanted training, technical support, user-friendly devices, and systems that were integrated into existing electronic health systems. The main challenges health workers experienced were poor network connections, access to electricity, and the cost of recharging phones. Other problems included damaged phones. Factors outside the health system also influenced how health workers experienced mHealth, including language, gender, and poverty issues. Health workers felt that their commitment to clients helped them cope with these challenges.
Authors' conclusions: Our findings propose a nuanced view about mHealth programmes. The complexities of healthcare delivery and human interactions defy simplistic conclusions on how health workers will perceive and experience their use of mHealth. Perceptions reflect the interplay between the technology, contexts, and human attributes. Detailed descriptions of the programme, implementation processes and contexts, alongside effectiveness studies, will help to unravel this interplay to formulate hypotheses regarding the effectiveness of mHealth.
Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. on behalf of The Cochrane Collaboration.
Conflict of interest statement
Willem A Odendaal: no financial conflicts of interest. Jocelyn Anstey Watkins: no financial conflicts of interest. JAW first‐authored a paper that is included in this review. This paper is about health professionals' self‐initiated use of their personal mobile devices to deliver and support the delivery of primary health care. JAW was excluded from the screening process of this paper. Natalie Leon: no financial conflicts of interest. It should be known that the systematic review work submitted, is partially funded by the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research (AHPSR) via a grant and partly by the South African Medical Council as the employing organization. I have done other research work on the topic of mHealth. I published a process evaluation of patient experience of a mHealth trial for adherence to hypertension. I am currently completing a process evaluation of a second mHealth trial for diabetes adherence. I am co‐investigator in Cochrane systematic review on patient perceptions of mHealth that contributed to the 2019 WHO Digital Health Recommendations for Health system strengthening. I do not think the AHPSR institutional funding and the other mHealth research constitute any competing interest. Jane Goudge: no financial conflicts of interest. JG was co‐author on the included paper first‐authored by JAW. JG was excluded from the screening process of this paper. Frances Griffiths: no financial conflicts of interest. The University of Warwick has received grants from the UK Medical Research Council and National Institute of Health Research for research in which FG is involved on use of mobile consulting, on an intervention (supervision support) to improve quality of care provided by community health workers, and on access to health care in slums. FG was co‐author on the included paper first‐authored by JAW. FG was excluded from the screening process of this paper. Mark Tomlinson: MT contracts Mobenzi Technologies for research and logistic services. MT has a particular interest in the use of digital technologies in global health and has received funding for the implementation of intervention studies using new digital technologies. MT has published in the field of mHealth and one of these papers about the use of mHealth in the supervision and management of community health workers.is included in this review. MT was excluded from the screening process of this paper. Karen Daniels: no financial conflicts of interest. The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) was funded to conduct this review by The Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research at WHO, and KD was the principal investigator on this grant at the SAMRC. KD currently works at the WHO but did not receive any additional funds from the WHO for her work on this review and was not involved in WHO's use of preliminary findings from this review in a recent WHO guideline.
A number of non‐financial issues, including personal, political and academic factors, may have influenced the review authors' input when conducting this review. The review authors have discussed this further in the sections on reflexivity in the Methods and Results sections.
Update of
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Healthcare workers' perceptions and experiences on using mHealth technologies to deliver primary healthcare services: a qualitative evidence synthesis.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015 Nov;2015(11):CD011942. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD011942. Epub 2015 Nov 10. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015. Update in: Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020 Mar 26;3:CD011942. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD011942.pub2. PMID: 27478408 Free PMC article. Updated. No abstract available.
References
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References to studies awaiting assessment
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