Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38429773›Full record

ArticleBMC public health2024

The use and potential impact of digital health tools at the community level: results from a multi-country survey of community health workers.

Courtney T Blondino, Alex Knoepflmacher, Ingrid Johnson, Cameron Fox, Lorna Friedman

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC public health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
13citing papers in PubMed
11.9field-weighted citation impact, top 1% 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

13 citing papers in PubMed, 14 citations in OpenAlex.

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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

5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Courtney T BlondinoDepartment of Health Studies, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Richmond, Richmond, VA, 23173, USA. cblondin@richmond.edu.
Alex KnoepflmacherMercer, New York, NY, 10036, USA.
Ingrid JohnsonMercer, New York, NY, 10036, USA.
Cameron FoxPlatform for Shaping the Future of Health & Healthcare, World Economic Forum, New York, NY, 10017, USA.
Lorna FriedmanMercer, New York, NY, 10036, USA.
Mercer University · USMercer (Czechia) · CZ

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCommunity health workers (CHWs) are increasingly viewed as a critical workforce to address health system strengthening and sustainable development goals. Optimizing and widening the capacity of this workforce through digital technology is currently underway, though there is skepticism regarding CHWs' willingness and optimism to engage in digital health. We sought to understand CHWs' perceptions on the use of digital health tools in their work.

methodsWe obtained survey data from 1,141 CHWs from 28 countries with complete study information. We conducted regression analyses to explore the relationship between CHWs' training and perceived barriers to digital health access with current use of digital devices/tools and belief in digital impact while adjusting for demographic factors.

resultsMost of the CHWs worked in Kenya (n = 502, 44%) followed by the Philippines (n = 308, 27%), Ghana (n = 107, 9.4%), and the United States (n = 70, 6.1%). There were significant, positive associations between digital tools training and digital device/tool use (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 2.92, 95% CI = 2.09-4.13) and belief in digital impact (AOR

conclusionsCHWs are not an obstacle to digital health adoption or use. CHWs believe that digital tools can help them have more impact in their communities regardless of perceived barriers. However, cost is a barrier to digital device/tool use; potential solutions to cost constraints of technological access will benefit from further exploration of reimbursement models. Digital health tools have the potential to increase CHW capacity and shape the future of community health work.

Indexed as

Community Health WorkersDigital HealthHumansKenyaPublic HealthTelephoneCommunity health workersDigital healthGlobalTechnology

Identifiers

PMID38429773
PMCPMC10905785
OpenAlexW4392365308

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.