ArticleHealth policy and planning2021
Using WhatsApp messenger for health systems research: a scoping review of available literature.
Article in Health policy and planning, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 49 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
49 citing papers in PubMed.
- SOS Dental Trauma-An Artificial Intelligence Chatbot via WhatsApp for Guiding Patients After Dental Trauma.Dental traumatology : official publication of International Association for Dental Traumatology · 2026Article
- Preferences for mHealth Features to Support Engagement in the HIV Preexposure Prophylaxis Cascade Among Men Who Have Sex With Men in Peru: Cross-Sectional Online Survey.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2026Article
- Feasibility of mobile-based noncommunicable disease risk factor data collection using WhatsApp and interactive voice response in Colombia.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Affiliate stigma, perceived social support, and caregiver burden among caregivers of people with substance use disorders in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study.BMC psychiatry · 2026Article
- From vision to value: a mixed methods evaluation of patient-centered care in Saudi Arabian primary healthcare centers.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Using Group Chats to Drive Behavior Change in Digital Health Interventions: Scoping Review and Realist Synthesis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Techno-Mainstreaming Palliative Care: The Global Palliative Doctors' Network.Journal of epidemiology and global health · 2026Article
- The determinants of health workers' job satisfaction in the Saudi Arabian health facilities.Human resources for health · 2026Article
- How are instant messaging applications used informally for paediatric health consultations in Pakistan? A qualitative study with caregivers and healthcare providers in Punjab.BMJ public health · 2026Article
- Article
- Shesha, a WhatsApp Chatbot for Linking Household Contacts to Tuberculosis Treatment or Preventive Therapy in South Africa: Design and Development.JMIR formative research · 2025Article
- App fatigue in mHealth: Beyond improving apps, advance equity by meeting people where they are.PLOS digital health · 2025Article
- Using WhatsApp for vaccine promotion in low- and middle-income countries: practitioner-informed perspectives.BMJ global health · 2025Article
- Sankofa! Leveraging Cultural Assets to Advance Long-Acting Injectable Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Among U.S.-Based African Immigrants.Journal of immigrant and minority health · 2025Article
- Article
- User-Centered Design of an Electronic Dashboard for Monitoring Facility-Level Basic Emergency Obstetric Care Readiness in Amhara, Ethiopia: Mixed Methods Study.JMIR human factors · 2025Article
- Digital solutions for migrant and refugee health: a framework for analysis and action.The Lancet regional health. Europe · 2025Review
- Effectiveness of a Novel Global Telemedicine Curriculum for Medical Students.Journal of general internal medicine · 2025Article
- Exploring the clinical profiles and management of juvenile dermatomyositis in Africa: a survey of African rheumatology care providers.Pediatric rheumatology online journal · 2025Article
- Digital strategies to promote crowdsourcing open calls for co-creating HIV interventions: a youth community-based participatory approach.Frontiers in digital health · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Globally, the use of mobile phones for improving access to healthcare and conducting health research has gained traction in recent years as rates of ownership increase, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Mobile instant messaging applications, including WhatsApp Messenger, provide new and affordable opportunities for health research across time and place, potentially addressing the challenges of maintaining contact and participation involved in research with migrant and mobile populations, for example. However, little is known about the opportunities and challenges associated with the use of WhatsApp as a tool for health research. To inform our study, we conducted a scoping review of published health research that uses WhatsApp as a data collection tool. A key reason for focusing on WhatsApp is the ability to retain contact with participants when they cross international borders. Five key public health databases were searched for articles containing the words ‘WhatsApp’ and ‘health research’ in their titles and abstracts. We identified 69 articles, 16 of which met our inclusion criteria for review. We extracted data pertaining to the characteristics of the research. Across the 16 studies—11 of which were based in LMICs—WhatsApp was primarily used in one of two ways. In the eight quantitative studies identified, seven used WhatsApp to send hyperlinks to online surveys. With one exception, the eight studies that employed a qualitative (n = 6) or mixed-method (n = 2) design analysed the WhatsApp content generated through a WhatsApp-based programmatic intervention. We found a lack of attention paid to research ethics across the studies, which is concerning given the controversies WhatsApp has faced with regard to data protection in relation to end-to-end encryption. We provide recommendations to address these issues for researchers considering using WhatsApp as a data collection tool over time and place.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.