Abstract:
Mobile health (mHealth) technologies have been identified as promising strategies for
improving access to healthcare delivery and patient outcomes. However, the extent of availability and
use of mHealth among healthcare professionals in Ghana is not known. The study’s main objective
was to examine the availability and use of mHealth for disease diagnosis and treatment support
by healthcare professionals in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. A cross-sectional survey was carried
out among 285 healthcare professionals across 100 primary healthcare clinics in the Ashanti Region
with an adopted survey tool. We obtained data on the participants’ background, available health
infrastructure, healthcare workforce competency, ownership of a mobile wireless device, usefulness
of mHealth, ease of use of mHealth, user satisfaction, and behavioural intention to use mHealth.
Descriptive statistics were conducted to characterise healthcare professionals’ demographics and
clinical features. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to explore the influence of
the demographic factors on the availability and use of mHealth for disease diagnosis and treatment
support. STATA version 15 was used to complete all the statistical analyses. Out of the 285 healthcare
professionals, 64.91% indicated that mHealth is available to them, while 35.08% have no access to
mHealth. Of the 185 healthcare professionals who have access to mHealth, 98.4% are currently using
mHealth to support healthcare delivery. Logistic regression model analysis significantly (p < 0.05)
identified that factors such as the availability of mobile wireless devices, phone calls, text messages,
and mobile apps are associated with HIV, TB, medication adherence, clinic appointments, and others.
There is a significant association between the availability of mobile wireless devices, text messages,
phone calls, mobile apps, and their use for disease diagnosis and treatment compliance from the
chi-square test analysis. The findings demonstrate a low level of mHealth use for disease diagnosis
and treatment support by healthcare professionals at rural clinics. We encourage policymakers to promote the implementation of mHealth in rural clinics.
Description:
SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL : File S1: Distribution of primary healthcare facilities sampled in the Ashanti Region, File S2: Survey tool, Table S1: Characteristics of participants from the 100 healthcare facilities surveyed in Ashanti Region, Table S2: Availability of mobile health for diagnostics and treatment support in the Ashanti Region, Table S3: Use of mobile health for diagnostics and treatment support in the Ashanti Region, Table S4: Chi-square test results of the relationship between the available health infrastructure or healthcare workforce competency and ownership of mobile wireless devices, Table S5: Chi-square test results of the relationship between the available health infrastructure or healthcare workforce competency and usefulness of mHealth applications, Table S6: Chi-square test results of the relationship between the available health infrastructure or healthcare workforce competency and ease of use of mHealth applications, Table S7: Chi-square test results of the relationship between the available health infrastructure or healthcare workforce competency and user satisfaction and behavioural intention to use mHealth, Figure S1: Odds ratio showing the association on the availability of mobile apps, toll-free, supply of power, support systems and others for disease diagnosis and treatment support by health workers in Ashanti Region, Ghana, Figure S2: Odds ratio showing the association on the use of mHealth applications for the management and treatment of hypertension, diabetes, cancer, malaria, monitor patients’ conditions and others by health workers in Ashanti Region, Ghana.