Using an online community of practice to explore the informal use of mobile phones by health workers

Claire Glenton; Josephine Nabukenya; Smisha Agarwal; Michele Meltzer; Elisabeth Mukendi; Immaculate Nakityo Lwanga; Josephine Namitala; Sunanda Reddy; Geoff Royston; Tigest Tamrat; Neil Pakenham-Walsh

doi:10.1093/oodh/oqac003

Using an online community of practice to explore the informal use of mobile phones by health workers

Oxf Open Digit Health. 2023 Jan 4:1:oqac003. doi: 10.1093/oodh/oqac003. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Health and Functioning, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, 5020 Bergen, Norway.
² Department of Information Systems, School of Computing & Informatics Technology, Makerere University, 7062, Kampala, Uganda.
³ Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 20205, USA.
⁴ Department of Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA.
⁵ Department of Health, Senghor University, Alexandria Governorate 5361022, Egypt.
⁶ School of Public Health, Makerere University, 7062, Kampala, Uganda.
⁷ Department of Adult and Community Education, Makerere University, 7062, Kampala, Uganda.
⁸ Centre for Applied Research and Education on Neurodevelopmental Impairments and Disability-related Health Initiatives, New Delhi 110075, India.
⁹ Healthcare Information for All, Global Healthcare Information Network, Oxfordshire, UK.
¹⁰ UNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/World Bank Special Program of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (HRP), Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research, World Health Organization, Geneva 1211, Switzerland.

Abstract

Health workers are increasingly harnessing mobile phones to develop their own solutions to work challenges. The mHEALTH-INNOVATE project aims to explore this topic further. In 2022, Healthcare Information for All organized an online discussion among health workers and other stakeholders to inform the project. Twenty-five people joined the discussion. Contributors' descriptions of the varieties of mobile phone use tallied with previous research, including for communication with patients and colleagues. In addition, they described increased mobile phone use in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the increased need for communication, monitoring and reporting, including during lockdowns. Some solutions were health worker-initiated, including the establishment of WhatsApp groups. The discussion has helped develop a definition of informal mobile phone use.

Keywords: digital health; digital innovation; health workforce; informal mhealth; mobile device; mobile health.

Grants and funding

001/WHO_/World Health Organization/International