ArticleJMIR mHealth and uHealth2022
Reaching Patients With Noncommunicable Diseases in Rural Tanzania Using Mobile Devices and Community Trust: Qualitative Study.
Article in JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.
- Formal and informal digital health in Tanzania: healthcare workforce, regulatory and trust implications of e-patients and virtual care and the development of the TRUST framework.Frontiers in health services · 2026Review
- Knowledge, Attitude, Practice, and Determinants of Community Health Workers' Involvement Toward NCD Prevention and Control in Northern Tanzania: A Cross-Sectional Study.Health science reports · 2025Article
- Health insurance in rural Tanzania promotes self-care for among patients with non-communicable diseases via their disease management behaviours.International health · 2025Article
- Status and future prospects for mobile phone-enabled diagnostics in Tanzania.PLOS digital health · 2024Article
- Article
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundA health service using mobile devices, mobile health (mHealth), has been widely applied to programs focusing on maternal and child health and communicable diseases in sub-Saharan African countries. However, mHealth apps for noncommunicable disease (NCD) services remain limited.
objectiveThis study aimed to explore the acceptability and potential usability of SMS text messaging for patients and health care providers for the management of NCDs as part of an implementation research in rural Tanzania.
methodsNine focus group discussions were conducted with 56 participants (21 community health workers [CHWs], 17 patients, and 18 health care professionals [HPs]) in 3 districts in the Dodoma region, Tanzania. The interview guides were prepared in Swahili, and each session was recorded, transcribed, and translated into English. The focus group discussions consisted of the following topics: (1) perceptions of the participants about the possible use of mobile devices and SMS text messages as an mHealth platform in community health services; and (2) experiences of mobile device use in health activities or receiving health services via a mobile phone in the past.
resultsCHWs and HPs reported having familiarity using mobile devices to provide health services, especially for reaching or tracing patients in remote settings; however, patients with NCDs were less familiar with the use of mobile devices compared with the other groups. Hesitation to receive health services via SMS text messaging was seen in the patient group, as they wondered who would send health advice to them. Some patients expected services beyond what mHealth could do, such as aiding in recovery from a disease or sending notifications about the availability of prescription medications. CHWs showed interest in using text messaging to provide health services in the community; however, the concerns raised by CHWs included the cost of using their own mobile devices. Moreover, they demanded training about NCD management before engaging in such an activity.
conclusionsThis study explored views and experiences regarding the possible installation of an mHealth intervention for managing NCDs in rural Tanzania. Although HPs and CHWs had experience using mobile devices to provide health services in non-NCD projects, only a few patients (3/17, 17%) had heard about the use of mobile devices to receive health services. To improve the suitability and acceptability of the intervention design for patients with NCDs, their trust must be earned. Involving CHWs in the intervention is recommended because they have already been appointed in the community and already know how to communicate effectively with patients in the area.
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