Assessment of Design and Implementation Attributes of mHealth Interventions: A Systematic Review
Volume 6 - Issue 1, January 2023 Edition
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Author(s)
Samson Mfuyeni; Yamikani Yafeti
Keywords
mHealth, Health Promotion, Mobile phones, Design attributes, Effectiveness.
Abstract
Usage of mobile phones in achieving health objectives (mHealth) has greatly increased in Sub-Saharan Africa. This is based on the premise that mHealth interventions improve the reach and quality of healthcare services. This systematic review examined mHealth intervention designs and implementation strategies and assessed their effect on interventions’ outcomes. Major databases and grey literature were searched for relevant studies using main search terms ‘mHealth’ and ‘Africa’. The search was restricted to articles published from 2010 to 2020. Only studies evaluating effectiveness of non-internet based communication services available on mobile phones such as text messaging, voice messaging and voice calling were eligible for inclusion. After screening, eleven studies were included in this systematic review. The review demonstrated that; i) mHealth interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa are mostly effective, ii)Weekly text medication reminders without additional motivational or health education information are significantly more effective, iii)Tailored and personalised health promotion text messages are significantly more effective, iv)Interactivity and messaging automation do not significantly improve effectiveness of mHealth interventions and, v)Use of behaviour change theories does not consistently improve effectiveness of mHealth interventions. Short text messages and tailored messages have more potential for successful mHealth interventions. Health promotion interventions could leverage the use of these attributes to enhance the reach and quality of healthcare services.
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