Nkangu Miriam, Obegu Pamela, Ngo Ngo Valery, Wanda Franck, Sinsai Regina, Kepgang Evrard, Kasonde Mwenya, Kibu Odette, Ndiforchu Victor, Fantaye Arone Wondwossen, Gobina Ronald M, Fobellah Nkengfack, Yaya Sanni
Health Promotion Alliance Cameroon (HPAC), Yaoundé, Cameroon.
Bruyere Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada.
Digit Health. 2024 Nov 18;10:20552076241287963. doi: 10.1177/20552076241287963. eCollection 2024 Jan-Dec.
The process of stakeholder engagement in the implementation of a digital health platform is vital, especially in low-resourced countries like Cameroon, where the digital health ecosystem is still emerging. Stakeholder engagement can make meaningful contributions to a project allowing for increased project visibility and reach, uptake, acceptability, and sustainability. However, collaboration among stakeholders during stakeholder engagement cannot be implied. This article focuses solely on intersectoral collaboration amongst stakeholders in the implementation of the BornFyne-PNMS digital health platform in Cameroon.
The study took on a participatory action research approach using stakeholder discussions, feedback from participants, questions, and suggestions to inform the progress and continuous implementation. This also included follow-up discussions with stakeholders from various sectors. The intersectoral meetings took into consideration a wider perspective on the implementation process and the launch of universal health coverage in Cameroon.
A total of five stakeholder meetings were held during the implementation phase, and a total of 174 stakeholders were engaged. As a follow-up, a total of 19 letters were prepared by the Department of Family Health and addressed to strategic departments including international partners to introduce the BornFyne project. Findings are centered on six major themes that emerged from the coded data and they are as follows: (1) aligned goals and objectives; (2) enhanced health care delivery; (3) data quality and availability; (4) accessibility issues; (5) intersectoral collaboration for universal health coverage; and (6) equity aspects.
This article underscores the relevance of engaging a diverse group of stakeholders as a strength in intersectoral collaboration and partnership in implementing digital health interventions. It ensures that the views and experiences of those directly impacted by the intervention are considered, and it contributes to a more well-rounded and impactful assessment of the BornFyne-PNMS platform's role in improving RMNCAH in rural settings.
利益相关者参与数字健康平台的实施过程至关重要，尤其是在喀麦隆这样资源匮乏的国家，其数字健康生态系统仍在发展之中。利益相关者的参与能够为项目做出有意义的贡献，从而提高项目的知名度、覆盖面、使用率、可接受性和可持续性。然而，利益相关者参与过程中利益相关者之间的合作并非自然而然就能实现。本文仅聚焦于喀麦隆实施BornFyne-PNMS数字健康平台过程中利益相关者之间的部门间合作。
该研究采用参与式行动研究方法，通过利益相关者讨论、参与者反馈、问题及建议来为进展和持续实施提供信息。这还包括与各部门利益相关者的后续讨论。部门间会议从更广泛的角度考虑了喀麦隆的实施过程和全民健康覆盖的启动。
在实施阶段共举行了五次利益相关者会议，共有174名利益相关者参与其中。作为后续行动，家庭健康部共撰写了19封信函，寄给包括国际伙伴在内的战略部门，介绍BornFyne项目。研究结果集中在编码数据中出现的六个主要主题，具体如下：（1）目标一致；（2）医疗服务提供得到改善；（3）数据质量和可得性；（4）可及性问题；（5）全民健康覆盖的部门间合作；（6）公平性方面。
本文强调了让不同利益相关者群体参与的重要性，这是实施数字健康干预措施时部门间合作与伙伴关系的优势所在。它确保考虑到受干预措施直接影响者的观点和经验，并有助于更全面、更有影响力地评估BornFyne-PNMS平台在改善农村地区孕产妇、新生儿、儿童和青少年健康方面所起的作用。
