Improving health care delivery in rural communities through the use of mobile phones : a case study in Windhoek
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Authors
Iyawa, Gloria Ejehiohen
Issue Date
2013-11
Type
Dissertation
Language
en
Keywords
M-health , Mobile phones , Health care delivery , Information and communication technology , Outpatient departments , Framework , Activity theory , Technology acceptance model , Case study , Rural hospitals
Alternative Title
Abstract
Poor health care delivery in rural communities is a major problem facing the health sector in Namibia.
Patients who visit rural communities often wait on queues for several hours every day before they can
be examined by a medical practitioner. This is detrimental to the health care process and impacts
negatively on the efficiency and effectiveness of the sector. Mobile phones can however be employed
as tools to improve work processes in such hospitals and as a result improve health care delivery in
rural communities.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the health care services provided to patients at Outpatient
Departments (OPDs) in rural hospitals through the use of data collection instruments such as
interviews, questionnaires, document analysis, expert validation and photographs in order to compile a
Mobile Health Service Framework (MHSF) to improve healthcare delivery processes in OPDs. From
an interpretive paradigm perspective, the qualitative design was used together with a case study
approach. Three hospitals in rural communities were used as case studies. These were Okuryangava
Hospital, Katutura Hospital and Khomasdal Hospital. Interviews were conducted and questionnaires
distributed to the participants. The findings revealed that there is a high concentration of mobile phone
usage in rural communities and there is a high usage of the SMS feature on such mobile phones.
Description
Citation
Iyawa, Gloria Ejehiohen (2013) Improving health delivery in rural communities through the use of mobile phones : a case study in Windhoek, University of South Africa, Pretoria, <http://hdl.handle.net/10500/13763>