scholarly journals Barriers to the Use of Mobile Health in Improving Health Outcomes in Developing Countries: Systematic Review

10.2196/13263 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. e13263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clemens Kruse ◽  
Jose Betancourt ◽  
Stephanie Ortiz ◽  
Susana Melissa Valdes Luna ◽  
Inderdeep Kaur Bamrah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Maternal Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Treatment Adherence ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Text Messaging ◽  
Publication Date ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Mhealth Technology

Background The use of mobile health (mHealth) technologies to improve population-level health outcomes around the world has surged in the last decade. Research supports the use of mHealth apps to improve health outcomes such as maternal and infant mortality, treatment adherence, immunization rates, and prevention of communicable diseases. However, developing countries face significant barriers to successfully implement, sustain, and expand mHealth initiatives to improve the health of vulnerable populations. Objective We aimed to identify and synthesize barriers to the use of mHealth technologies such as text messaging (short message service [SMS]), calls, and apps to change and, where possible, improve the health behaviors and health outcomes of populations in developing countries. Methods We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses checklist. Deriving search criteria from the review’s primary objective, we searched PubMed and CINAHL using an exhaustive terms search (eg, mHealth, text messaging, and developing countries, with their respective Medical Subject Headings) limited by publication date, English language, and full text. At least two authors thoroughly reviewed each article’s abstract to verify the articles were germane to our objective. We then applied filters and conducted consensus meetings to confirm that the articles met the study criteria. Results Review of 2224 studies resulted in a final group of 30 articles for analysis. mHealth initiatives were used extensively worldwide for applications such as maternal health, prenatal care, infant care, HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment adherence, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and health education. Studies were conducted in several developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. From each article, we recorded the specific health outcome that was improved, mHealth technology used, and barriers to the successful implementation of the intervention in a developing country. The most prominent health outcomes improved with mHealth were infectious diseases and maternal health, accounting for a combined 20/30 (67%) of the total studies in the analysis. The most frequent mHealth technology used was SMS, accounting for 18/30 (60%) of the studies. We identified 73 individual barriers and grouped them into 14 main categories. The top 3 barrier categories were infrastructure, lack of equipment, and technology gap, which together accounted for 28 individual barriers. Conclusions This systematic review shed light on the most prominent health outcomes that can be improved using mHealth technology interventions in developing countries. The barriers identified will provide leaders of future intervention projects a solid foundation for their design, thus increasing the chances for long-term success. We suggest that, to overcome the top three barriers, project leaders who wish to implement mHealth interventions must establish partnerships with local governments and nongovernmental organizations to secure funding, leadership, and the required infrastructure.

scholarly journals Barriers to the Use of Mobile Health in Improving Health Outcomes in Developing Countries: Systematic Review (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clemens Kruse ◽  
Jose Betancourt ◽  
Stephanie Ortiz ◽  
Susana Melissa Valdes Luna ◽  
Inderdeep Kaur Bamrah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Maternal Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Treatment Adherence ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Text Messaging ◽  
Publication Date ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Mhealth Technology

BACKGROUND The use of mobile health (mHealth) technologies to improve population-level health outcomes around the world has surged in the last decade. Research supports the use of mHealth apps to improve health outcomes such as maternal and infant mortality, treatment adherence, immunization rates, and prevention of communicable diseases. However, developing countries face significant barriers to successfully implement, sustain, and expand mHealth initiatives to improve the health of vulnerable populations. OBJECTIVE We aimed to identify and synthesize barriers to the use of mHealth technologies such as text messaging (short message service [SMS]), calls, and apps to change and, where possible, improve the health behaviors and health outcomes of populations in developing countries. METHODS We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses checklist. Deriving search criteria from the review’s primary objective, we searched PubMed and CINAHL using an exhaustive terms search (eg, mHealth, text messaging, and developing countries, with their respective Medical Subject Headings) limited by publication date, English language, and full text. At least two authors thoroughly reviewed each article’s abstract to verify the articles were germane to our objective. We then applied filters and conducted consensus meetings to confirm that the articles met the study criteria. RESULTS Review of 2224 studies resulted in a final group of 30 articles for analysis. mHealth initiatives were used extensively worldwide for applications such as maternal health, prenatal care, infant care, HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment adherence, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and health education. Studies were conducted in several developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. From each article, we recorded the specific health outcome that was improved, mHealth technology used, and barriers to the successful implementation of the intervention in a developing country. The most prominent health outcomes improved with mHealth were infectious diseases and maternal health, accounting for a combined 20/30 (67%) of the total studies in the analysis. The most frequent mHealth technology used was SMS, accounting for 18/30 (60%) of the studies. We identified 73 individual barriers and grouped them into 14 main categories. The top 3 barrier categories were infrastructure, lack of equipment, and technology gap, which together accounted for 28 individual barriers. CONCLUSIONS This systematic review shed light on the most prominent health outcomes that can be improved using mHealth technology interventions in developing countries. The barriers identified will provide leaders of future intervention projects a solid foundation for their design, thus increasing the chances for long-term success. We suggest that, to overcome the top three barriers, project leaders who wish to implement mHealth interventions must establish partnerships with local governments and nongovernmental organizations to secure funding, leadership, and the required infrastructure.

scholarly journals Bibliometric Analysis of Interventional Literature on Mobile Health: The Most Highly Cited Articles

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 66
Author(s):  
Arefeh Ameri ◽  
Farzad Salmanizadeh ◽  
Kambiz Bahaadinbeigy
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Treatment Adherence ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Text Messaging ◽  
Mental Health Disorders ◽  
Mobile Technologies ◽  
Health Disorders ◽  
Number Of Citations ◽  
Highly Cited Articles ◽  
Highly Cited

Introduction: Advances in mobile health have led to numerous relevant studies in diagnosis, treatment, and controlling of various diseases. One of the criteria indicating the quality of the previously published studies is the number of citations. Therefore, investigating the features of highly cited articles and identifying the most frequently used mobile technological interventions can affect future research ideas. This study aimed at identifying 100 highly cited interventional studies on mobile health, type of used mobile technologies, and effect of these technologies in various diseases in top-cited articles.Methods: The database employed in this study was the Web of Science, which without limitations was analysed in April 2020 to identify 100 highly cited interventional studies in the field of mobile health. The identified studies were classified based on the number of citations, year of publication, country of the first author, type of disease, and use of mobile technology.Results: A great majority of the studies in the field of interventional mobile health focused on obesity (n=18), addiction (n=15), diabetes (n=13) and mental health disorders (n=12), respectively. Many studies employed mobile technologies to promote lifestyle (weight loss and increased physical activity) (n=20), disease controls (n=20), and treatment adherence (n=18). The mean number of citations per study was 146±97. The most cited study was in the category of viral disease treatment adherence (n=703), and the most cited articles were published in 2012.Conclusions: Among the reviewed 100 studies, many of the interventional studies regarding mobile health focused on obesity, addiction, diabetes and mental health disorders. Promotion of lifestyle, disease controls, and treatment adherence were effects of mobile technologies in top-cited articles. Text messaging service was used as intervention in most of the studies. Thus, future studies may focus on the use of various mobile applications on different diseases’ prevention, control, and treatment.

Effectivity of National Health Insurance on Maternal Health in Developing Countries: A Systematic Review

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Nur Octavia ◽  
◽  
Pandu Riono ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Health Insurance ◽  
Maternal Health ◽  
National Health Insurance ◽  
National Health ◽  
Population Studies

Department of Biostatistics and Population Studies, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Indonesia

scholarly journals Improving Access and Utilization of Maternal Healthcare Services through Focused Antenatal Care in Rural Ghana: A Qualitative Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Umar Haruna ◽  
Gordon Dandeebo ◽  
Sylvester Z. Galaa
Keyword(s):  
Maternal Health ◽  
Antenatal Care ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Transportation Systems ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Maternal Healthcare ◽  
Focused Antenatal Care

Improved access to and utilization of various maternal healthcare services have been seen as the panacea to poor maternal and child health outcomes characterizing many developing countries. Focused Antenatal Care (FANC) replaced the regular antenatal care model about a decade and a half ago. This study sought to document empirical outcomes of how the FANC approach translates access and utilization of maternal health services into positive maternal health outcomes. We utilized a descriptive qualitative design and analysis. We applied key informant interviewing to collect data from 206 respondents consisting of 140 women in their fertility age and 66 health workers across 14 communities in the study district. We found that FANC has been widely implemented across the district with most of the required services integrated into the existing healthcare delivery system. Overall, there has been successful implementation of FANC in the district, resulting in several benefits including the increased utilization of maternal healthcare services, acceptance of family planning, increased skilled delivery, and utilization of postnatal care (PNC) services. This notwithstanding, a number of issues need to be addressed to improve FANC services. These include provision of adequate infrastructure, essential supplies, communication and transportation systems, and manpower and adoption of positive sociocultural practices. No effort should be spared in providing these to sustain the successes and ensure sustainability of FANC.

scholarly journals Multistakeholder Perspectives on Maternal Text Messaging Intervention in Uganda: Qualitative Study (Preprint)

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Onaedo Ilozumba ◽  
Marjolein Dieleman ◽  
Sara Van Belle ◽  
Moses Mukuru ◽  
Azucena Bardají ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Maternal Health ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Text Messaging ◽  
Program Theory ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Health Team ◽  
Village Health Team ◽  
Maternal Health Outcomes ◽  
Village Health

BACKGROUND Despite continued interest in the use of mobile health for improving maternal health outcomes, there have been limited attempts to identify relevant program theories. OBJECTIVES This study had two aims: first, to explicate the assumptions of program designers, which we call the program theory and second, to contrast this program theory with empirical data to gain a better understanding of mechanisms, facilitators, and barriers related to the program outcomes. METHODS To achieve the aforementioned objectives, we conducted a retrospective qualitative study of a text messaging (short message service) platform geared at improving individual maternal health outcomes in Uganda. Through interviews with program designers (n=3), we elicited 3 main designers’ assumptions and explored these against data from qualitative interviews with primary beneficiaries (n=26; 15 women and 11 men) and health service providers (n=6), as well as 6 focus group discussions with village health team members (n=50) who were all involved in the program. RESULTS Our study results highlighted that while the program designers’ assumptions were appropriate, additional mechanisms and contextual factors, such as the importance of incentives for village health team members, mobile phone ownership, and health system factors should have been considered. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that text messages could be an effective part of a more comprehensive maternal health program when context and system barriers are identified and addressed in the program theories.

The use of mobile health technology for Parkinson's disease self-management: a Systematic Review (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvie Grosjean ◽  
Eliza Bate ◽  
Tiago Mestre
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Mobile Health ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Social Acceptability ◽  
Qualitative Systematic Review ◽  
The Social ◽  
Mhealth Technology

BACKGROUND The use of mobile health (mHealth) technology for Parkinson’s disease management has developed quickly in recent years. Research in this area often focuses on evaluation of the technology in terms of accuracy and reliability. The social dimension and patient perspectives have not been systematically evaluated and are vital considerations in terms of acceptability and long-term use of novel mHealth technologies. OBJECTIVE This qualitative systematic review aims to investigate the barriers to and facilitators of using mHealth technologies for disease self-management from the perspective of People with Parkinson's disease. METHODS MedLine, Embase, PsychInfo, Scopus and CINAHL databases were searched using specific key words, and published peer-reviewed articles from 2008 to 2018 were scanned for inclusion criteria. RESULTS A total of 10 articles were included in this qualitative systematic review. The articles highlight the social and technical factors including: usability, social acceptability, perceived benefits to treatment and quality of life that have the potential to impact mHealth technology use from the perspective of People with Parkinson's disease. CONCLUSIONS The results of this systematic review suggest that it is important to strongly consider social dimensions in the design of mHealth technologies for People with Parkinson's in order to improve their social acceptability, a key feature of mHealth. We suggest that a co-design approach could contribute to the design and development of mHealth technologies that are more socially acceptable to People with Parkinson's, and enable their successful long term use in the context of daily life.

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