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Formalising ‘informal’ mHealth in Ghana: Opportunities and challenges for Universal Health Coverage (UHC)

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Michele Castelli

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).


Abstract

© 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.While mobile phones promise to be an important tool for bridging the healthcare gaps in resource-poor areas in developing countries, scalability and sustainability of mobile phones for health (mhealth) interventions still remain a major challenge. Meanwhile, health workers are already using their own mobile phones (referred to as ‘informal mhealth’) to facilitate healthcare delivery in diverse ways. Therefore, this paper explores some strategies for integrating ‘informal mHealth’ in the healthcare delivery of Ghana, by highlighting some opportunities and challenges. The study mainly employed a combination of literature review, focus group discussions and key informant interviews with community health nurses (CHNs) and other stakeholders, who were purposively selected from the three ecological zones in Ghana. The study found that, while scale-up of ‘formal mhealth’ remains challenging in Ghana, almost all CHNs in our study are using their personal mobile phones ‘informally’ to bridge healthcare gaps, thereby promoting universal health coverage. This provides opportunities for promoting (or formalising) ‘informal’ mhealth in Ghana, in spite of some practical challenges in the use of personal mobile phones that need to be addressed to ensure sustainable healthcare delivery in the country.


Publication metadata

Author(s): Mariwah S, Machistey Abane A, Asiedu Owusu S, Kasim A, Robson E, Castelli M, Hampshire K

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Global Public Health

Year: 2022

Volume: 17

Issue: 5

Pages: 768-781

Online publication date: 24/01/2021

Acceptance date: 03/01/2021

Date deposited: 25/03/2021

ISSN (print): 1744-1692

ISSN (electronic): 1744-1706

Publisher: Routledge

URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2021.1874467

DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2021.1874467


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Funding

Funder referenceFunder name
Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC),
UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (formerly Department for International Development), under the Health Systems Research Initiative (HSRI).
Wellcome Trust
UK Medical Research Council (grant number MR/R003963/1),

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