Perspectives and experiences of community health workers in Brazilian primary care centers using m-health tools in home visits with community members
Abstract Background Mobile health (m-health) tools are a promising strategy to facilitate the work of community health workers (CHWs) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Despite their potential value, little is known about CHWs’ experiences working with m-health tools in their outreach acti...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2017-09-01
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| Series: | Human Resources for Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12960-017-0245-9 |
| _version_ | 1818599754030907392 |
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| author | Julia Schoen John William Mallett Rebecca Grossman-Kahn Alexandra Brentani Elizabeth Kaselitz Michele Heisler |
| author_facet | Julia Schoen John William Mallett Rebecca Grossman-Kahn Alexandra Brentani Elizabeth Kaselitz Michele Heisler |
| author_sort | Julia Schoen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Mobile health (m-health) tools are a promising strategy to facilitate the work of community health workers (CHWs) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Despite their potential value, little is known about CHWs’ experiences working with m-health tools in their outreach activities with community members. Methods To understand the benefits of and barriers to using m-health tools for CHWs, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 57 CHWs employed in six primary care centers in São Paulo, Brazil. All CHWs had experience using a cell phone application called Geohealth for collecting health and demographic data of community members. We assessed their experiences using Geohealth and recommendations for improvements. Results CHWs described key benefits of using Geohealth as helping them save time with bureaucratic paperwork, organizing the data that they needed to collect, and by replacing sheaves of paper, reducing the weight that they carried in the field. However, there were many technical and social barriers to the successful adoption of the m-health tool. Key among these were poor quality hardware, faulty software programs, and negative community member perceptions of the m-health program. The CHWs provided valuable input as to how Geohealth could be improved to fit their needs. Conclusion m-health tools have the potential to facilitate the work of CHWs in LMICs. However, such tools must be designed and implemented thoughtfully. Technical barriers related to both hardware and software must be anticipated and addressed to maximize their efficiency and successful adoption. CHW input on the design of the tool should be sought to maximize its utility and minimize barriers to use. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-16T12:24:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1809dfafce4049d18b6a3395bbe87265 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1478-4491 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-16T12:24:37Z |
| publishDate | 2017-09-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Human Resources for Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-1809dfafce4049d18b6a3395bbe872652022-12-21T22:31:51ZengBMCHuman Resources for Health1478-44912017-09-0115111010.1186/s12960-017-0245-9Perspectives and experiences of community health workers in Brazilian primary care centers using m-health tools in home visits with community membersJulia Schoen0John William Mallett1Rebecca Grossman-Kahn2Alexandra Brentani3Elizabeth Kaselitz4Michele Heisler5University of Michigan Medical SchoolUniversity of Michigan Medical SchoolUniversity of Michigan Medical SchoolDepartment of Pediatrics, University of São Paulo Medical SchoolUniversity of Michigan Medical SchoolCenter for Clinical Management Research, Ann Arbor Veterans’ Affairs (VA) Healthcare SystemAbstract Background Mobile health (m-health) tools are a promising strategy to facilitate the work of community health workers (CHWs) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Despite their potential value, little is known about CHWs’ experiences working with m-health tools in their outreach activities with community members. Methods To understand the benefits of and barriers to using m-health tools for CHWs, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 57 CHWs employed in six primary care centers in São Paulo, Brazil. All CHWs had experience using a cell phone application called Geohealth for collecting health and demographic data of community members. We assessed their experiences using Geohealth and recommendations for improvements. Results CHWs described key benefits of using Geohealth as helping them save time with bureaucratic paperwork, organizing the data that they needed to collect, and by replacing sheaves of paper, reducing the weight that they carried in the field. However, there were many technical and social barriers to the successful adoption of the m-health tool. Key among these were poor quality hardware, faulty software programs, and negative community member perceptions of the m-health program. The CHWs provided valuable input as to how Geohealth could be improved to fit their needs. Conclusion m-health tools have the potential to facilitate the work of CHWs in LMICs. However, such tools must be designed and implemented thoughtfully. Technical barriers related to both hardware and software must be anticipated and addressed to maximize their efficiency and successful adoption. CHW input on the design of the tool should be sought to maximize its utility and minimize barriers to use.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12960-017-0245-9Community health workersBrazilPrimary careCommunity healthm-healthQualitative research |
| spellingShingle | Julia Schoen John William Mallett Rebecca Grossman-Kahn Alexandra Brentani Elizabeth Kaselitz Michele Heisler Perspectives and experiences of community health workers in Brazilian primary care centers using m-health tools in home visits with community members Human Resources for Health Community health workers Brazil Primary care Community health m-health Qualitative research |
| title | Perspectives and experiences of community health workers in Brazilian primary care centers using m-health tools in home visits with community members |
| title_full | Perspectives and experiences of community health workers in Brazilian primary care centers using m-health tools in home visits with community members |
| title_fullStr | Perspectives and experiences of community health workers in Brazilian primary care centers using m-health tools in home visits with community members |
| title_full_unstemmed | Perspectives and experiences of community health workers in Brazilian primary care centers using m-health tools in home visits with community members |
| title_short | Perspectives and experiences of community health workers in Brazilian primary care centers using m-health tools in home visits with community members |
| title_sort | perspectives and experiences of community health workers in brazilian primary care centers using m health tools in home visits with community members |
| topic | Community health workers Brazil Primary care Community health m-health Qualitative research |
| url | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12960-017-0245-9 |
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