Puja Sreya Sanyal, Neha Nahian Noor, Alif Ofia Rahman, Sultan Tarannaum Jahan, Husna Md Golam Zel Asmaul, Jahan Ishrat, Noor Jannatun
Computing for Sustainability and Social Good (C2SG) Research Group, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Heliyon. 2024 Jul 5;10(14):e33927. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e33927. eCollection 2024 Jul 30.
In today's digital age, ensuring high-quality healthcare services is paramount for both physical and mental well-being. This is particularly challenging in developing countries like Bangladesh, where marginalized individuals, especially women, face barriers to accessing essential healthcare. Financial constraints and limited awareness often hinder their ability to avail themselves of private or public healthcare services. Besides, women have distinct healthcare difficulties compared to men, and they are also more likely to catch certain illnesses and diseases. However, there is a noticeable gap in the existing literature, with insufficient research specifically dedicated to addressing the healthcare challenges faced by this underprivileged group of women in developing countries. In this study, we delve deeper into the healthcare challenges faced by underprivileged women in Bangladesh, including issues related to menstruation and gynecological disorders through a field study in a slum area. Drawing valuable insights from this field study, we propose leveraging voice bots in the telecommunications sector as an innovative solution to provide accessible and targeted healthcare support for marginalized women. We present the prototype of such a voice bot to be available 24/7 with detailed workflow and performance evaluation. We expect that our study will contribute to the ICTD scholarship by informing future interventions for economically disadvantaged communities as well as informing policymakers grappling with the healthcare challenges faced by underprivileged women.
在当今数字时代,确保高质量的医疗服务对于身心健康至关重要。在孟加拉国这样的发展中国家,这一挑战尤为艰巨,在这些国家,边缘化群体,尤其是妇女,在获取基本医疗服务方面面临障碍。经济限制和有限的认知常常阻碍她们利用私人或公共医疗服务的能力。此外,与男性相比,女性面临着独特的医疗困难,她们也更容易感染某些疾病。然而,现有文献存在明显差距,专门针对发展中国家这一弱势群体妇女所面临的医疗挑战进行的研究不足。在本研究中,我们通过在一个贫民窟地区进行的实地研究,更深入地探讨了孟加拉国贫困妇女所面临的医疗挑战,包括与月经和妇科疾病相关的问题。从这项实地研究中汲取宝贵见解,我们提议利用电信部门的语音机器人作为一种创新解决方案,为边缘化妇女提供可及且有针对性的医疗支持。我们展示了这样一个语音机器人的原型,它可以全天候提供服务,并给出详细的工作流程和性能评估。我们期望我们的研究将通过为经济弱势社区的未来干预措施提供信息,以及为应对贫困妇女所面临医疗挑战的政策制定者提供信息,为信息通信技术促进发展(ICTD)学术研究做出贡献。