Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41430702›Full record

ArticleTrials2025

ReachUHC: a study protocol of a randomized controlled trial of a mobile phone-based reminder and automatic renewal intervention to increase health insurance renewal rates in Kumasi, Ghana.

Laura Nübler, Mawumenyo Aku Kwawukume, Fati Ibrahim, Anne Neumann, Bernard Okoe Boye, Vivian Addo-Cobbiah, Ellis Owusu-Dabo, Kofi Akohene Mensah, Verena Struckmann, Samuel Knauss and 13 more

Abstract readClinical Trial Protocol
In one paragraph

Article in Trials, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. 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

23 authors.

Laura NüblerGerman-West African Center for Global Health and Pandemic Prevention, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany. laura.nuebler@pik-potsdam.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0142-0096
Mawumenyo Aku KwawukumeSchool of Public Health, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana.
Fati IbrahimSchool of Public Health, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana.
Anne NeumannCharité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Bernard Okoe BoyeNational Health Insurance Authority, Accra, Ghana.
Vivian Addo-CobbiahNational Health Insurance Authority, Accra, Ghana.
Ellis Owusu-DaboGerman-West African Center for Global Health and Pandemic Prevention, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana.
Kofi Akohene MensahGerman-West African Center for Global Health and Pandemic Prevention, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana.
Verena StruckmannGerman-West African Center for Global Health and Pandemic Prevention, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Samuel KnaussGlobal Digital Last Mile Health Research Lab, Charité Center for Global Health, Charité - Univer-sitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Julius Valentin EmmrichMedical Faculty and University Hospital, Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
Ruth WaitzbergDepartment of Health Care Management, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Enoch AffanyiNational Health Insurance Authority, Accra, Ghana.
Orison AffluNational Health Insurance Authority, Accra, Ghana.
Joe Annor-DarkwahNational Health Insurance Authority, Accra, Ghana.
Daniel BlanksonNational Health Insurance Authority, Accra, Ghana.
Francis Asenso-BoadiNational Health Insurance Authority, Accra, Ghana.
Juliette CaziermTOMADY gGmbH, Leipzig, Germany.
Jennifer BencivengamTOMADY gGmbH, Leipzig, Germany.
Carolina PiochDepartment of Health Care Management, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Martin Siegel *Department of Empirical Health Economics, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Wilm Quentin *Chair of Planetary & Public Health, Universität Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany.
Daniel Opoku *German-West African Center for Global Health and Pandemic Prevention, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana.

Funding

Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung 01DG21016A
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSince the Ghanaian National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) was introduced in 2004, coverage rates have remained low, despite affordable premiums and payment exemptions for minor, senior, poor, and pregnant individuals. While 82% of the population have registered with the NHIS, many fail to complete the annual renewal and thus lose their coverage. A mobile renewal service introduced in 2018 simplified the previously cumbersome renewal procedure. Still, 40% of active member experience gaps in coverage in a given year, and 19% fail to renew at all. Baseline research suggests that forgetfulness is a major barrier to renewal.

methodsA total of 342,818 NHIS members from Kumasi will be randomized into the reminder, autorenewal or control groups. The reminder arm receives SMS prompts to complete the mobile renewal process and payment before expiration. The autorenewal arm is eligible to sign up for automatic renewal and give the NHIS permission to deduct the premium from their mobile money account, and will receive SMS prompt to do so. The intervention lasts 6 months. NHIS routine data will be used to evaluate the effect of the interventions on renewals. A follow-up survey household survey in Kumasi will evaluate additional aspects user experience. DISCUSSION: Improving insurance retention has the potential to substantially increase health insurance coverage rates, as 45% of the Ghanaians currently have expired insurance. Assessing these tools will identify enabling factors and barriers of the intervention and inform the transferability of the intervention to other health insurance systems in sub-Saharan African countries.

trial registrationPAN AFRICAN CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRY, PACTR202409918648487: Registered on 04 September 2024.

Indexed as

Cell PhoneInsurance CoverageInsurance, HealthNational Health ProgramsReminder SystemsText MessagingGhanaHumansRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicBehavioral economicsDigital interventionUniversal health coverage

Identifiers

PMID41430702
PMCPMC12720431

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.