Potential adoption of mobile health technologies for public healthcare in Burundi.
Loading...
Date
2016
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Mobile health (or mHealth) describes the utilisation of wireless mobile communications
devices in public and private healthcare. These include, but are not limited to, mobile
telephones, personal digital assistants, and patient monitoring devices. Although the
outcomes of mHealth interventions in developing countries have generally been
assessed as positive, there is a need for designing mHealth interventions that are
specifically tailored to the context of individual countries. It is in this context that this
research investigates the potential adoption of mHealth technologies to provide
healthcare services in Burundi from the institutional level point of view (Burundi’s
Ministry of Health and Fight Against AIDS (MoH&A) and the Ministry of
Communication (MoC)), users point of view (primary healthcare professionals) and
mobile technology point of view (mobile technology providers). Using three theoretical
frameworks i.e. the Capabilities Approach (CA) model, the Diffusion of Innovation
(DOI) theory and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT),
this research firstly identifies the determinants and impediments to mHealth adoption
in Burundi. It further describes how mHealth could be used to address the current
challenges that the Burundi’s Ministry of Health faces in terms of providing public
healthcare services. It further proposes a framework for the adoption of mHealth in
Burundi. At the institutional level and mobile technology point of view, semi-structured
interviews were held with civil servants from the two Ministries and with mobile
technology services providers. At the users’ level, a survey was conducted with primary
healthcare professionals from 47 primary healthcare centres. Findings reveal that
mHealth adoption can contribute to disease prevention, disease management and the
provision of quality healthcare in Burundi. Although there is limited knowledge of
mHealth capabilities within the Burundi’s public healthcare sector, there is a general
willingness towards the adoption of mHealth notwithstanding challenges associated
with its adoption. Although DOI construct-related factors such as relative advantage,
compatibility, trialability and observability significantly influence the adoption of
mHealth in Burundi, complexity does not. In addition, performance expectancy, effort
expectancy and facilitating conditions are UTAUT constructs that significantly
influence the adoption of mHealth adoption. The research advocates for an integrated
and collaborative approach to addressthe impediments to mHealth adoption in Burundi.
Description
Doctor of Philosophy in Information Systems and Technology. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg 2016.