Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35061727›Full record

Trial reportPloS one2022

User experiences of a mobile phone-based health information and surveillance system (mHISS): A case of caregivers of children under-five in rural communities in Ghana.

Emmanuel Acquah-Gyan, Princess Ruhama Acheampong, Aliyu Mohammed, Timothy Kwabena Adjei, Emmanuel Agyapong, Sampson Twumasi-Ankrah, Augustina Sylverken, Michael Owusu, Ellis Owusu-Dabo

Open access · goldAbstract readClinical Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in PloS one, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.2field-weighted citation impact, top 13% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Emmanuel Acquah-GyanDepartment of Global and International Health, College of Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.ORCID 0000-0003-3767-6525
Princess Ruhama AcheampongDepartment of Global and International Health, College of Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
Aliyu MohammedDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
Timothy Kwabena AdjeiDepartment of Global and International Health, College of Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.ORCID 0000-0003-0330-0861
Emmanuel AgyapongDepartment of Global and International Health, College of Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
Sampson Twumasi-AnkrahKumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR), Kumasi, Ghana.
Augustina SylverkenKumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR), Kumasi, Ghana.
Michael OwusuKumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine (KCCR), Kumasi, Ghana.
Ellis Owusu-DaboDepartment of Global and International Health, College of Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology · GH

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe rapid advancement of mobile technology has fueled the use of mobile devices for health interventions and for improving healthcare provision in underserved communities. Despite the potential of mHealth being used as a health information and surveillance tool, its scale-up has been challenging and, in most cases, unable to advance beyond the pilot stage of implementation. The purpose of this study was to explore user experiences of a mobile phone-based interactive voice response (IVR) system among caregivers of children under-five in rural communities in the Asante Akim North District of Ghana.

methodsThe study adopted an exploratory design. A convenience sampling technique was used to recruit 35 participants who had used an IVR system for at least six months for the study. About 11 in-depth interviews and three focus group discussions were conducted among participants using a semi-structured interview guide. Thematic content analysis was utilized for the analysis of data in this study.

resultThe system was found to be acceptable, and the attitude of caregivers towards the system was also positive. The study discovered that the mobile phone-based Health Information and Surveillance System (mHISS) was useful for improving access to healthcare, communicating with health professionals, served as a decision support system, and improved caregivers' awareness about self-management of childhood illnesses. Poor network quality, unstable electricity power supply, and dropped/cut calls served as significant barriers to using the mHISS system.

conclusionThe mHISS system was generally acceptable and could help improve access to healthcare and identify children with severe health conditions during outbreaks of diseases.

Indexed as

CaregiversCell PhoneHealth Information SystemsRural PopulationTelemedicineAdolescentAdultChildFemaleGhanaHumansMiddle Aged

Identifiers

PMID35061727
PMCPMC8782293
OpenAlexW4205685441

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.