Digital Health Technologies and Implications for Developing Country Media and Health Communication (original) (raw)
Related papers
Advancements in digital media and communications technology have generated considerable optimism on the role of social media in achieving developmental and public health outcomes globally. The unprecedented availability of digital devices and platforms has also prompted different development institutions to design and implement a range of social media interventions for social and behaviour change. This paper examines how social media are transforming health communication in Africa. Our study demonstrates the existence of an avalanche of interventions using different mobile devices and mobilization approaches in addressing multiple health issues. The interventions target different population groups and are not limited to young people who are considered as the major users and consumers of social media content. However, the study cautions against “new media utopianism” or “social media-centricism” because technology is a tool of development not an end in itself.
Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering & Sciences Publication, 2019
The effects of health communication interventions are to reach a large number of individuals and communities, as Rogers and Storey, (1987) stated that these are possible within a specified period of time and through an organized set of communication activities. Hence, to promote vaccination and its well-being through health communication campaigns, as in the United States it requires efforts to inform the public about infectious diseases and the benefits of immunization (Paisley, 2001). Nowadays, health communication campaigns and interventions have used a variety of ways to send healthcare messages. However, the role and effectiveness of health communication has been discussed recently without information and communication technologies (ICTs) in improving health systems and healthcare services, particular in the developing countries, including Cote d'Ivoire. The hospitals in Cote d'Ivoire were lacking proper medical infrastructures, or they had outdated equipment. This has revealed the vulnerability of a few healthcare issues, such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, etc. as they are quite widespread among the population.
Frontiers in Public Health
Background: Innovative strategies such as digital health are needed to ensure attainment of the ambitious universal health coverage in Africa. However, their successful deployment on a wider scale faces several challenges on the continent. This article reviews the key benefits and challenges associated with the application of digital health for universal health coverage and propose a conceptual framework for its wide scale deployment in Africa. Discussion: Digital health has several benefits. These include; improving access to health care services especially for those in hard-to-reach areas, improvements in safety and quality of healthcare services and products, improved knowledge and access of health workers and communities to health information; cost savings and efficiencies in health services delivery; and improvements in access to the social, economic and environmental determinants of health, all of which could contribute to the attainment of universal health coverage. However, digital health deployment in Africa is constrained by challenges such as poor coordination of mushrooming pilot projects, weak health systems, lack of awareness and knowledge about digital health, poor infrastructure such as unstable power supply, poor internet connectivity and lack of interoperability of the numerous digital health systems. Contribution of digital health to attainment of universal health coverage requires the presence of elements such as resilient health system, communities and access to the social and economic determinants of health. Conclusion: Further evidence and a conceptual framework are needed for successful and sustainable deployment of digital health for universal health coverage in Africa.
Conceptualization and practices in digital health: voices from Africa
African Health Sciences
This paper presents voices from Africa on digital health in Africa. These voices were gleaned during interviews and an online, focus group session in May 2020, during which 30 experts across Africa, among others from the South, were asked about their experiences and observations on the conceptualisation of, and practices in, digital health in their respective communities and countries. Extensive input was provided, both orally and textually. The quotes gathered and presented in this paper indicate that there is a distinct need for the respectful co-development of digital health interventions in Africa. In addition, the quotes show how a one-size-fits-all solution approach does not exist, it is not a solution to Africa. Further, the community-focus, fit, and fragmentation of existing activities digital health interventions is questioned. The narratives provide a rich resource indicating capable and local agency and the need to address power-differences in international health develop...
The potential of digital health technologies in African context, Ethiopia
2021
ABSTRACTThe World Health Organization (WHO) recently put forth a Global Strategy on Digital Health 2020 - 2025 with several countries having already achieved key milestones. We aimed to understand whether and how digital health technologies (DHTs) are absorbed in Africa, tracking Ethiopia as a key node. We conducted a systematic review, searching PubMed-MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, African Journals Online, ClinicalTrials.gov, and the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform databases from inception to 02 February 2021 for studies of any design that investigated the potential of DHTs in clinical or public health practices in Ethiopia. This review was designed to inform our ongoing DHT-enabled randomized controlled trial (RCT) (ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT04216420). We found 23,897 potentially-relevant citations, among which 47 studies met the inclusion criteria, comprising a total of 594,999 patients, healthy individuals, and healthcare professionals. The studies involved seven D...
The Impact of Digital Technologies on Public Health in Developed and Developing Countries
Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2020
the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this book are included in the book's Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the book's Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
Texila International Journal of Academic Research, 2024
This study assessed the determinants influencing the adoption of digital health tools for public health emergencies in primary healthcare centres in Nigeria. The research was conducted in registered primary healthcare centres located in Abuja-Federal Capital Territory, Niger, and Nasarawa in Northcentral Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was employed, utilizing pretested semi-structured questionnaire for data collection. The findings revealed the recent implementation of 11 digital health tools. The tools were classified into categories: Disease Surveillance and Response Systems, Data Collection, Analytics, Visualization and Use, and Logistics and Supply Chain Management. Key factors affecting the adoption of these tools included Age (χ² = 203.64, p < 0.001), Sex (χ² = 136.92, p < 0.001), Marital Status (χ² = 44.64, p < 0.001), Level of Education (χ² = 8.37, p = 0.007), Rate of IT Knowledge (χ² = 228.22, p < 0.001), Profession (χ² = 151.55, p < 0.001), and PHC (χ² = 212.79, p < 0.001). The findings indicate that multiple demographic and professional factors significantly influence the adoption of digital health tools. The research identified key factors that affect the effective implementation and adoption of these technologies. Identified key enablers comprise robust infrastructure, stakeholder engagement, policy development, financial sustainability, and user-centred design. By addressing these barriers and leveraging identified enablers, Nigeria can improve its preparedness and response to public health emergencies, thereby enhancing healthcare outcomes and greater equity in health services. This study offered insights and recommendations for policymakers and practitioners focused on advancing sustainable digital health initiatives Nigeria.
Health-related media use among youth audiences in Senegal
Health Promotion International, 2014
Lower-and middle-income countries (LMICs) are experiencing rapid changes in access to and use of new internet and digital media technologies. The purpose of this study was to better understand how younger audiences are navigating traditional and newer forms of media technologies, with particular emphasis on the skills and competencies needed to obtain, evaluate and apply health-related information, also defined as health and media literacy. Sixteen focus group discussions were conducted throughout Senegal in September 2012 with youth aged 15 -25. Using an iterative coding process based on grounded theory, four themes emerged related to media use for health information among Senegalese youth. They include the following: (i) media utilization; (ii) barriers and conflicts regarding media utilization; (iii) uses and gratifications and (iv) health and media literacy. Findings suggest that Senegalese youth use a heterogeneous mix of media platforms (i.e. television, radio, internet) and utilization often occurs with family members or friends. Additionally, the need for entertainment, information and connectedness inform media use, mostly concerning sexual and reproductive health information. Importantly, tensions arise as youth balance innovative and interactive technologies with traditional and conservative values, particularly concerning ethical and privacy concerns. Findings support the use of multipronged intervention approaches that leverage both new media, as well as traditional media strategies, and that also address lack of health and media literacy in this population. Implementing health-related interventions across multiple media platforms provides an opportunity to create an integrated, as opposed to a disparate, user experience.
International Journal of Public Health Science (IJPHS)
This study aimed to evaluate the extent to which health practitioners in Cross River state, Nigeria, use social media for patient care and to assess the barriers militating against its liberal use for patient care. The study adopted the cross-sectional survey design and used 550 respondents selected through the cluster, simple random and purposive sampling techniques, from selected secondary and tertiary health facilities. Furthermore, quantitative and qualitative methods involving the questionnaire and key informant interview respectively were used to elicit information from respondents. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics while content analysis was used to handle qualitative data. The result of data analysis revealed that health practitioners in Cross River state, Nigeria do social media use for patient care very minimally and this is attributed to a wide range of factors, including the absence of a clear-cut regulatory framework governing social media use...