Rural Patients' Access to Mobile Phones and Willingness to Receive Mobile Phone-Based Pharmacy and Other Health Technology Services: A Pilot Study

Background: Maternal and neonatal mortality rates still pose a global challenge. Objectives: The present study aimed to identify the socio-demographic characteristics of mobile users trying to access antenatal care services, transportation to facilities, and postnatal care for mothers and newborns. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that used data collected from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) 2014. Data were gathered using a questionnaire. Participants comprised 4,494 mothers aged between 14 and 49. Models of logistic regression were used to determine associations. Results: The overall sample size was 4494, with only 22.23% of women using mobile phones. Among these, 29.9% used their mobile phones to obtain health services or advice and 70.1% did not. Women with mobile phones who had a higher level of education used them to receive more health care (secondary and higher: OR = 1.922, 95%CI = 1.225−3.014; primary: OR = 1.982, 95% CI = 1.738−2.654); they were of higher socio-economic status (rich: OR = 1.228, 95% CI = 1.009&−1.494; middle income: OR = 1.691, 95% CI = 1.256−2.333); they accessed more prenatal care (yes: OR = 1.993, 95% CI = 1.425−1.987) and antenatal care (yes: OR = 1.951, 95% CI = 1.765−1.998); they checked their health status after delivery (yes: OR = 1.966, 95% CI = 1.639−2.357). Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that young women who had a higher level of education and income and resided in urban areas were more likely to use a mobile phone to receive health care facilities in Bangladesh. Intervention studies are essential in recognising that mobile phone-based facilities improve maternal health care.

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Mobile phone usage and willingness to receive mental health support through mobile phones among perinatal mothers in rural Bihar, India

Asian Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102431 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 53 ◽

pp. 102431

Author(s):

Vijaya Raghavan ◽

Homam A. Khan ◽

Uttara Seshu ◽

Amarnath Choudhary ◽

C. Sangeetha ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mobile Phone ◽

Mobile Phones ◽

Mental Health Support ◽

Health Support ◽

Mobile Phone Usage ◽

To Receive

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Behavior Revealed in Mobile Phone Usage Predicts Credit Repayment

The World Bank Economic Review ◽

10.1093/wber/lhz006 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 34 (3) ◽

pp. 618-634 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Daniel Björkegren ◽

Darrell Grissen

Keyword(s):

Developing Countries ◽

Mobile Phone ◽

Mobile Phones ◽

Mobile Phone Data ◽

South American ◽

Time Period ◽

Behavioral Signatures ◽

Mobile Phone Usage ◽

Rich Data ◽

To Receive

Abstract Many households in developing countries lack formal financial histories, making it difficult for firms to extend credit, and for potential borrowers to receive it. However, many of these households have mobile phones, which generate rich data about behavior. This article shows that behavioral signatures in mobile phone data predict default, using call records matched to repayment outcomes for credit extended by a South American telecom. On a sample of individuals with (thin) financial histories, this article's method actually outperforms models using credit bureau information, both within-time and when tested on a different time period. But the method also attains similar performance on those without financial histories, who cannot be scored using traditional methods. Individuals in the highest quintile of risk by the measure used in this article are 2.8 times more likely to default than those in the lowest quintile. The method forms the basis for new forms of credit that reach the unbanked.

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Lists in Flux, Lives on Hold? Technologies of Waiting in Liver Transplant Medicine

Immobility and Medicine ◽

10.1007/978-981-15-4976-2_2 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 15-37

Author(s):

Julia Rehsmann

Keyword(s):

Liver Transplant ◽

Mobile Phone ◽

Mobile Phones ◽

Waiting Lists ◽

Communication Tool ◽

Liver Transplants ◽

Critical Feature ◽

Transplant Medicine ◽

To Receive ◽

Affective Dimensions

Abstract This chapter examines waiting in liver transplant medicine, a field characterized by immediacy, urgency and delay. By taking a close look at waiting lists, allocating algorithms and mobile phones, it engages with the technological and material features that generate, shape and mediate waiting and hope when livers fail. Based on ethnographic research in Germany, I analyse the powerful workings of ephemeral waiting lists and discuss how these lists in flux put the lives of those looking for an organ on hold. By doing so, I contribute to understandings of how immobilities are produced and their affective dimensions. I approach waiting lists for liver transplants as part of transplant medicine’s invisible digital infrastructure and contend that the mobile phone becomes a critical feature therein, significantly affecting those waiting for a transplant. Firstly, I discuss the wait list as bureaucratic technology, marker of eligibility and symbol for patients’ chances to receive live-saving treatment. I then show, secondly, how complex algorithms create these ephemeral lists. Thirdly, I turn in more detail to the experiences of a patient listed for a transplant. I demonstrate how, in this time of waiting-in-uncertainty, the mobile phone becomes an extension and tangible manifestation of this ephemeral list as well as a reminder of one’s dependency on medical care. I show how the mobile phone transforms from a mere communication tool to an ambivalent marker of people’s simultaneous mobility and immobility during their wait.

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Women�s Perceptions of Using Mobile Phones for Maternal and Child Health Support in Afghanistan: Cross-Sectional Survey (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.9504 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Fazal Yamin ◽

Jaranit Kaewkungwal ◽

Pratap Singhasivanon ◽

Saranath Lawpoolsri

Keyword(s):

Child Health ◽

Mobile Phone ◽

Mobile Phones ◽

Maternal And Child Health ◽

Health Messages ◽

Child Health Services ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

To Receive ◽

And Child Health

BACKGROUND Growing rates of global mobile subscriptions pave the way for implementation of mobile health (mHealth) initiatives, especially among hard-to-reach populations. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to determine the perceptions of Afghan women regarding the use of mobile phones for maternal and child health services. METHODS A cross-sectional survey was conducted in both rural and urban districts of Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan. The interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to assess participants’ demographic profile, mobile phone usage, and perception of respondents toward different aspects of health care delivery via mobile phones. RESULTS Of the 240 participants, 142 (59.2%) owned mobile phones and 220 (91.7%) routinely used mobile phones. Approximately 209 (87.1%) of participants were willing to receive health messages via a mobile phone. Automated voice call was the most preferred method for sending health messages. More than 90% of the women reported that they would like to receive reminders for their children’s vaccinations and antenatal care visits. CONCLUSIONS Users’ perception was associated with mobile phone ownership, literacy level, and experience using mobile phones. In the study area, where the literacy rate is low, mHealth was well perceived.

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Exploring teachers’ increased knowledge of the potential of mobile phone use: pilot study reducing the difference between students’ and teachers’ ideas

Education and Information Technologies ◽

10.1007/s10639-020-10138-y ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 25 (5) ◽

pp. 3759-3778

Author(s):

Tiina Leino Lindell

Keyword(s):

Pilot Study ◽

Mobile Phone ◽

Division Of Labor ◽

Mobile Phones ◽

Mobile Phone Use ◽

School Activities ◽

Crucial Problem ◽

Research Questions ◽

The Difference ◽

Cultural Historical Activity

AbstractIt has been emphasized that students and teachers have dissimilar ideas about how mobile phone use could be utilized and limited. Moreover, these differences have been identified as a crucial problem that has caused conflicts in education. In order to resolve the problem, research has stressed that it is very important to increase teachers’ knowledge about how mobile phones can be used in students’ work. However, the topic of how teachers could increase their understanding related to students’ ideas has remained largely unexamined. Thus, this pilot study explores the following research questions using cultural-historical activity theory and qualitative methods: How is teachers’ possibility knowledge influenced when they are exposed to students’ ideas about how mobile phones could be both supportive and problematic in school activities? What are the similarities and differences between the students’ ideas that have, and have not, influenced the teachers’ possibility knowledge of mobile phone use? The results show how the teachers’ possibility knowledge increases concerning the features that could be both supportive and problematic and must be limited by rules and a division of labor. Moreover, it transpires that the teachers’ possibility knowledge is not always affected. It appears that the teachers’ understanding is influenced if they can relate the students’ ideas to the teachers’ division of labor. These results could be used by schools to resolve problems caused by the different ideas of students and teachers regarding mobile phone use. The results could also be used when implementing mobile phones in educational research.

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Assessing Mobile Phone Access, Usage and Willingness Among Women to Receive Voice Message-Based Mobile Health Intervention to Improve Antenatal Care Attendance in District Thatta

10.21203/rs.3.rs-29314/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Anam Feroz ◽

Naureen Akberali ◽

Sarah Saleem

Keyword(s):

Antenatal Care ◽

Mobile Phone ◽

Mobile Phones ◽

Mobile Health ◽

Live Births ◽

Mhealth Intervention ◽

Care Services ◽

Voice Message ◽

Phone Access ◽

To Receive

Abstract Background Pakistan has one of the highest maternal mortality ratios worldwide at 276/100,000 live births and only 51% percent of women receive four or more ANC visits. This means that there are missed opportunities for almost half of the women who were not able to seek the recommended antenatal visits. In Thatta district, the maternal mortality ratio is estimated at 313/100,000 live births. Various studies reported that mHealth interventions have proven to be effective to improve antenatal care and postnatal care services. However, the feasibility and effectiveness of mobile health interventions to increase uptake of preventive maternal healthcare services among pregnant women in different settings may be different due to differing patient demographics, cultural diversity, environmental and behavioral factors, availability and accessibility to mobile phones, and budgetary constraints. Prior to implementing a similar intervention in Thatta District, it is crucially important to assess the mobile phone access, usage and willingness among women to receive voice-message based mHealth intervention to improve antenatal care attendance. Methods A cross-sectional quantitative study will be used to assess mobile phone access, usage and willingness among women to receive voice-message based mHealth intervention to improve antenatal care attendance in District Thatta. The study will be conducted in Thatta district of Sindh province. Married women of reproductive age (MWRA), who are residing in selected villages of Mirpur Sakro and willing to participate will be included in the study. Multistage sampling technique will be used to recruit the 415 study participants. A structured questionnaire has been designed on Epicollect to collect data from 415 women. Data will be analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 23, with a level of significance as <0.05. Discussion This research project will provide invaluable information on the current access, usage of mobile phones among women of district Thatta and their willingness to receive voice messages to improve the antenatal care services. The study will also highlight demographic, sociocultural and economic factors associated with women willingness and readiness to receive voice messages regarding antenatal care.

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Mobile phone usage and willingness to receive mental health support through mobile phones among perinatal mothers in rural Bihar, India: A community survey (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.14879 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Vijaya Raghavan ◽

Homam A. Khan ◽

Seshu Uttara ◽

Amarnath Choudhary

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mobile Phone ◽

Health Information ◽

Mobile Phones ◽

Mental Health Professionals ◽

Mental Health Counseling ◽

Health Counseling ◽

Mobile Phone Usage ◽

Study Participants ◽

To Receive

BACKGROUND The increasing usage of mobile phones has created unique opportunities to provide health information dissemination and other interventions even to the remote places. OBJECTIVE The aim of the current study as to examine the mobile phone usage among ante- and post- natal mothers in rural Bihar and their willingness to receive health information and mental health counseling through mobile phones. METHODS The current study was conducted in four village panchayats, selected by convenience sampling, in Dalsinghsarai Taluk, Samastipur district, Bihar. A total of 50 ante- and post- natal mothers were interviewed after obtaining a written informed consent. A semi-structed performa was developed, in consultation with the mental health professionals, community level workers, village heads and lay people, to gather relevant information from the study participants. Descriptive statistical tests were used to analyze the data. RESULTS Analysis shows that the study participants’ average years of education was 5.4±3.6. Nearly 98% of the households of the interviewed study participants had at least one mobile phone while 84% of the study participants had separate personal mobile phones for themselves and had autonomy to use. 90% of the mobile phones in use are modular type. Nearly 98% of the study participants reported willingness to receive health information and mental health counseling through mobile phones. CONCLUSIONS The results of the current study indicate that there is high mobile phone usage in rural Bihar and majority of the ante- and post- natal mothers own and use them with autonomy. They have also shown interest in receiving heath interventions through mobile phones. Novel and innovative approaches could be developed to tap into this potential avenue to promote and deliver health information and could be scaled up for wider audience at low cost.

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A Pilot Study of Mobile Telephone Message Interventions with Suicide Attempters in China

Crisis ◽

10.1027/0227-5910/a000017 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 31 (2) ◽

pp. 109-112 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Hui Chen ◽

Brian L. Mishara ◽

Xiao Xian Liu

Keyword(s):

Pilot Study ◽

Effective Means ◽

Text Message ◽

Text Messages ◽

Mobile Telephone ◽

Future Research ◽

Quick Method ◽

Suicide Attempters ◽

To Receive

Background: In China, where follow-up with hospitalized attempters is generally lacking, there is a great need for inexpensive and effective means of maintaining contact and decreasing recidivism. Aims: Our objective was to test whether mobile telephone message contacts after discharge would be feasible and acceptable to suicide attempters in China. Methods: Fifteen participants were recruited from suicide attempters seen in the Emergency Department in Wuhan, China, to participate in a pilot study to receive mobile telephone messages after discharge. All participants have access to a mobile telephone, and there is no charge for the user to receive text messages. Results: Most participants (12) considered the text message contacts an acceptable and useful form of help and would like to continue to receive them for a longer period of time. Conclusions: This suggests that, as a low-cost and quick method of intervention in areas where more intensive follow-up is not practical or available, telephone messages contacts are accessible, feasible, and acceptable to suicide attempters. We hope that this will inspire future research on regular and long-term message interventions to prevent recidivism in suicide attempters.

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