User experiences of a mobile phone-based health information and surveillance system (mHISS): A case of caregivers of children under-five in rural communities in Ghana

Abstract
The rapid advancement of mobile technology has fueled the use of mobile devices for health interventions and for improving healthcare provision in underserved communities. Despite the potential of mHealth being used as a health information and surveillance tool, its scale up has been challenging and, in most cases, unable to advance beyond the pilot stage of implementation. The purpose of this study was to explore user experiences of a mobile phone-based interactive voice response (IVR) system among caregivers of children under five in rural communities in the Asante Akim North District of Ghana. Methods The study adopted an exploratory design. A convenience sampling technique was used to recruit 35 participants who had used an IVR system for at least six months for the study. About 11 in-depth interviews and three focus group discussions were conducted among par ticipants using a semi-structured interview guide. Thematic content analysis was utilized for the analysis of data in this study. Result The system was found to be acceptable, and the attitude of caregivers towards the system was also positive. The study discovered that the mobile phone-based Health Information and Surveillance System (mHISS) was useful for improving access to healthcare
Description
This article is published by Plos One and is also available at https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0261806
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Citation
Acquah-Gyan E, Acheampong PR, Mohammed A, Adjei TK, Agyapong E, Twumasi Ankrah S, et al. (2022) User experiences of a mobile phone-based health information and surveillance system (mHISS): A case of caregivers of children under-five in rural communities in Ghana. PLoS ONE 17(1): e0261806
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