Care from distance, yet closer together: How an SMS intervention enhanced care engagement for prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission care in Western Kenya
Short messaging services (SMS) for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) are growing in popularity, yet with little qualitative understanding of how such socio-technological mobile health (mHealth) interventions are experienced and shape continuity of care. In this qualitative st...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2022-12-01
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| Series: | SSM: Qualitative Research in Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667321522001573 |
| _version_ | 1811199230406033408 |
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| author | Katrine Judith Chamorro De Angeles Phoene Oware Edwin Were Anna Mia Ekström Morten Skovdal Anna Kågesten |
| author_facet | Katrine Judith Chamorro De Angeles Phoene Oware Edwin Were Anna Mia Ekström Morten Skovdal Anna Kågesten |
| author_sort | Katrine Judith Chamorro De Angeles |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Short messaging services (SMS) for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) are growing in popularity, yet with little qualitative understanding of how such socio-technological mobile health (mHealth) interventions are experienced and shape continuity of care. In this qualitative study, we explore how WelTel, an SMS intervention for improved PMTCT retention in western Kenya, influenced women's engagement with PMTCT care. We conducted in-depth interviews with women (n = 14) enrolled in PMTCT care and PMTCT care providers (n = 14), across six health facilities between July 2016–June 2017. Interviews were transcribed and imported into NVivo for coding and thematic analysis. In our analysis, we approached WelTel as a socio-technological intervention and found it to neatly interface with pre-existing PMTCT care and engagement practices. Our findings revealed fitting interactions between existing PMTCT care and engagement practices, women and healthcare providers, and the intervention. We found that the WelTel intervention formalized and strengthened (in)formal phone communications already taking place between some women and their healthcare providers, enhancing phones as caring devices, with positive implications for care engagement. Despite workload and privacy concerns, this resulted in improved client recognition, with women feeling more ‘seen’ and ‘cared for’ by their providers. Health-enhancing client-provider relations were strengthened, and care provision experienced as faster. Our findings demonstrate hitherto unexplored pathways through which SMS interventions can improve PMTCT care engagement, underlining that the success of this type of mHealth interventions may be contingent on their ‘goodness of fit’ with, and contributions to, pre-existing care practices and resources. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T01:45:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f6326ab7d4fc460ab148ae8b3228629f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2667-3215 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T01:45:33Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | SSM: Qualitative Research in Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-f6326ab7d4fc460ab148ae8b3228629f2022-12-22T03:53:06ZengElsevierSSM: Qualitative Research in Health2667-32152022-12-012100195Care from distance, yet closer together: How an SMS intervention enhanced care engagement for prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission care in Western KenyaKatrine Judith Chamorro De Angeles0Phoene Oware1Edwin Were2Anna Mia Ekström3Morten Skovdal4Anna Kågesten5Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, SE-17177, Stockholm, Sweden; Corresponding author. Karolinska Institutet, Department of Global Public Health, Tomtebodavägen 18 A, SE-17177, Stockholm, Sweden.Institute for Social Development, University of the Western Cape. Robert Sobukwe Rd, Bellville, 7535, South AfricaDepartment of Reproductive Health, Moi University School of Medicine, P.O Box 4606, 030100, Eldoret, KenyaDepartment of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, SE-17177, Stockholm, SwedenDepartment of Public Health, University of Copenhagen. Øster Farimagsgade 5, 1014, Copenhagen, DenmarkDepartment of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, SE-17177, Stockholm, SwedenShort messaging services (SMS) for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) are growing in popularity, yet with little qualitative understanding of how such socio-technological mobile health (mHealth) interventions are experienced and shape continuity of care. In this qualitative study, we explore how WelTel, an SMS intervention for improved PMTCT retention in western Kenya, influenced women's engagement with PMTCT care. We conducted in-depth interviews with women (n = 14) enrolled in PMTCT care and PMTCT care providers (n = 14), across six health facilities between July 2016–June 2017. Interviews were transcribed and imported into NVivo for coding and thematic analysis. In our analysis, we approached WelTel as a socio-technological intervention and found it to neatly interface with pre-existing PMTCT care and engagement practices. Our findings revealed fitting interactions between existing PMTCT care and engagement practices, women and healthcare providers, and the intervention. We found that the WelTel intervention formalized and strengthened (in)formal phone communications already taking place between some women and their healthcare providers, enhancing phones as caring devices, with positive implications for care engagement. Despite workload and privacy concerns, this resulted in improved client recognition, with women feeling more ‘seen’ and ‘cared for’ by their providers. Health-enhancing client-provider relations were strengthened, and care provision experienced as faster. Our findings demonstrate hitherto unexplored pathways through which SMS interventions can improve PMTCT care engagement, underlining that the success of this type of mHealth interventions may be contingent on their ‘goodness of fit’ with, and contributions to, pre-existing care practices and resources.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667321522001573mHealthSMSCare engagementHIVPrevention of mother-to-child-transmissionKenya |
| spellingShingle | Katrine Judith Chamorro De Angeles Phoene Oware Edwin Were Anna Mia Ekström Morten Skovdal Anna Kågesten Care from distance, yet closer together: How an SMS intervention enhanced care engagement for prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission care in Western Kenya SSM: Qualitative Research in Health mHealth SMS Care engagement HIV Prevention of mother-to-child-transmission Kenya |
| title | Care from distance, yet closer together: How an SMS intervention enhanced care engagement for prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission care in Western Kenya |
| title_full | Care from distance, yet closer together: How an SMS intervention enhanced care engagement for prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission care in Western Kenya |
| title_fullStr | Care from distance, yet closer together: How an SMS intervention enhanced care engagement for prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission care in Western Kenya |
| title_full_unstemmed | Care from distance, yet closer together: How an SMS intervention enhanced care engagement for prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission care in Western Kenya |
| title_short | Care from distance, yet closer together: How an SMS intervention enhanced care engagement for prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission care in Western Kenya |
| title_sort | care from distance yet closer together how an sms intervention enhanced care engagement for prevention of mother to child hiv transmission care in western kenya |
| topic | mHealth SMS Care engagement HIV Prevention of mother-to-child-transmission Kenya |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667321522001573 |
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