A mixed-methods quasi-experimental evaluation of a mobile health application and quality of care in the integrated community case management program in Malawi
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19552419 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Simone Peart Boyce (ICF International (United States)), Florence Nyangara (United States Pharmacopeial Convention), Joy Kamunyori (ICF International (United States)) |
| Year | 2019 |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 010811-010811 |
| Publication date | 2019-06-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Global Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2047-2978 • E-ISSN: 2047-2986 |
| Publisher | International Society of Global Health (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.7189/jogh.09.010811 |
| PMID | 31263554 |
| OpenAlex | W2954425439 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 18 |
BACKGROUND: The use of mobile health (mHealth) technology to improve quality of care (QoC) has increased over the last decade; limited evidence exists to espouse mHealth as a decision support tool, especially at the community level. This study presents evaluation findings of using a mobile application for integrated community case management (iCCM) by Malawi's health surveillance assistants (HSAs) in four pilot districts to deliver lifesaving services for children. METHODS: A quasi-experimental study design compared adherence to iCCM guidelines between HSAs using mobile application (n = 137) and paper-based tools (n = 113), supplemented with 47 key informant interviews on perceptions about QoC and sustainability of iCCM mobile application. The first four sick children presenting to each HSA for an initial consultation of an illness episode were observed by a Ministry of Health iCCM trainer for assessment, classification, and treatment. Results were compared using logistic regression, controlling for child-, HSA-, and district-level characteristics, with Holm-Bonferroni-adjusted significance levels for multiple comparison. RESULTS: = 0.27). Interview respondents corroborated these findings that using iCCM mobile application ensures protocol adherence. Respondents noted barriers to its consistent and wide use including hardware problems and limited resources. CONCLUSION: Generally, the mobile application is a promising tool for improving adherence to the iCCM protocol for assessing sick children and classifying illness by HSAs. Limited effects on treatments and inconsistent use suggest the need for more studies on mHealth to improve QoC at community level
Community health · Environmental health · Family medicine · Health care · Integrated Management of Childhood Illness · mHealth · Population · Primary health care · Psychological intervention · Public health · ICT in Developing Communities · Medicine · Mobile Health and mHealth Applications · Nursing · Telemedicine and Telehealth Implementation
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| Citations per year | 0.5 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2020 - 2021 (2) |
| Highly cited | No |