Stenhouse Rosie, Gebbie Beshir Wassie, Girma Demessie, Fida Gosaye, Calia Clara, Guto Godana, Wolters Maria Klara
School of Health in Social Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburg, United Kingdom.
Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Maribor, Maribor, Slovenia.
Front Digit Health. 2025 Jun 19;7:1543828. doi: 10.3389/fdgth.2025.1543828. eCollection 2025.
Approximately three-quarters of Ethiopia's population lives in rural areas, and access to healthcare is difficult with poor transport infrastructure and long travel times. Telemedicine has the potential to support healthcare access and minimise COVID-19 transmission through a reduced need to travel.
This Brief Research Report describes the analysis of qualitative data relating to the development of a mobile health (mHealth) system during the COVID-19 pandemic to support COVID-19 symptom management in the community in Oromia, Ethiopia.
Data were collected from (1) meeting notes and WhatsApp group discussions, (2) a focus group with medical staff, and (3) an interview with a senior hospital leader. A framework method was used for the analysis.
Three themes were identified: (1) patient-physician relationship, (2) new ways of using everyday technology, and (3) infrastructure and digital access.
We discuss the challenges of developing an mHealth system during a pandemic alongside infrastructural challenges and the preparedness of medical staff and communities for the use of mHealth.
There is a need for investment in information technology infrastructure and in access to digital networks, alongside a need to improve the digital and health literacy of populations for the successful implementation of a patient-facing mHealth system. Thus, whilst the policy aspirations are admirable, the potential for technological innovation is great, and the clinicians can see the benefit of using technologies to provide care to those who cannot reach clinics, there is a gap between what is possible given the current reality of infrastructure and patient preparedness and the requirements for a successful telemedicine intervention.
埃塞俄比亚约四分之三的人口生活在农村地区，由于交通基础设施差和出行时间长，获得医疗保健服务困难。远程医疗有潜力通过减少出行需求来支持医疗保健服务的获取，并最大限度地减少新冠病毒的传播。
本简要研究报告描述了对定性数据的分析，这些数据与新冠疫情期间埃塞俄比亚奥罗米亚地区为支持社区新冠症状管理而开发的移动健康（mHealth）系统有关。
数据收集自（1）会议记录和WhatsApp群组讨论、（2）与医务人员的焦点小组讨论以及（3）对一位医院高级领导的访谈。采用框架法进行分析。
确定了三个主题：（1）医患关系、（2）日常技术的新使用方式以及（3）基础设施和数字接入。
我们讨论了在疫情期间开发移动健康系统所面临的挑战，以及基础设施挑战、医务人员和社区使用移动健康的准备情况。
为了成功实施面向患者的移动健康系统，需要投资于信息技术基础设施和数字网络接入，同时需要提高民众的数字素养和健康素养。因此，虽然政策抱负令人钦佩，技术创新潜力巨大，临床医生也能看到使用技术为无法前往诊所的患者提供护理的好处，但鉴于当前基础设施和患者准备情况的现实与成功的远程医疗干预要求之间仍存在差距。
