Brinkel J, Dako-Gyeke P, Krämer A, May J, Fobil J N
University of Bielefeld, School of Public Health, Department of Public Health Medicine, P.O. Box 100131, D-33501, Bielefeld, Germany; Department of Biological, Environmental, Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Ghana, P.O. Box LG13, Legon, Ghana.
University of Ghana, School of Public Health, Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences, P.O. Box LG13, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
Public Health. 2017 Mar;144:125-133. doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2016.11.017. Epub 2017 Jan 19.
In implementing mobile health interventions, user requirements and willingness to use are among the most crucial concerns for success of the investigation and have only rarely been examined in sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed to specify the requirements of caregivers of children in order to use a symptom-based interactive voice response (IVR) system for seeking healthcare. This included (i) the investigation of attitudes towards mobile phone use and user experiences and (ii) the assessment of facilitators and challenges to use the IVR system.
This is a population-based cross-sectional study.
Four qualitative focus group discussions were conducted in peri-urban and rural towns in Shai Osudoku and Ga West district, as well as in Tema- and Accra Metropolitan Assembly. Participants included male and female caregivers of at least one child between 0 and 10 years of age. A qualitative content analysis was conducted for data analysis.
Participants showed a positive attitude towards the use of mobile phones for seeking healthcare. While no previous experience in using IVR for health information was reported, the majority of participants stated that it offers a huge advantage for improvement in health performance. Barriers to IVR use included concerns about costs, lack of familiarly with the technology, social barriers such as lack of human interaction and infrastructural challenges. The establishment of a toll-free number as well as training prior to IVR system was discussed for recommendation.
This study suggests that caregivers in the socio-economic environment of Ghana are interested and willing to use mobile phone-based IVR to receive health information for child healthcare. Important identified users' needs should be considered by health programme implementers and policy makers to help facilitate the development and implementation of IVR systems in the field of seeking healthcare.
在实施移动健康干预措施时，用户需求和使用意愿是调查成功的最关键因素，而在撒哈拉以南非洲地区很少对此进行研究。本研究旨在明确儿童看护者的需求，以便使用基于症状的交互式语音应答（IVR）系统来寻求医疗保健服务。这包括：（i）调查对手机使用的态度和用户体验；（ii）评估使用IVR系统的促进因素和挑战。
这是一项基于人群的横断面研究。
在沙伊奥苏杜库和加西区的城郊和农村城镇以及特马和阿克拉市议会进行了四次定性焦点小组讨论。参与者包括至少有一名0至10岁儿童的男性和女性看护者。采用定性内容分析法进行数据分析。
参与者对使用手机寻求医疗保健服务持积极态度。虽然之前没有使用IVR获取健康信息的经验，但大多数参与者表示，这对改善健康状况有很大优势。使用IVR的障碍包括对成本的担忧、对技术不熟悉、缺乏人际互动等社会障碍以及基础设施方面的挑战。讨论了设立免费电话以及在使用IVR系统前进行培训的建议。
本研究表明，加纳社会经济环境中的看护者有兴趣并愿意使用基于手机的IVR来获取儿童医疗保健的健康信息。健康项目实施者和政策制定者应考虑已确定的重要用户需求，以帮助推动IVR系统在寻求医疗保健领域的开发和实施。
