Abstract

Aim:

This review explores perceptions of healthcare providers (HcPs) on desirable attributes for mobile-health Applications in emergencies and pandemics like COVID 19.

 Background:

Studies in all study settings have reported encouraging potential for Mobile-health (mHealth) technologies in improving health outcomes by preventing treatment interruption. However, literature bears little evidence of use in information dissemination in emergencies and pandemics like COVID 19. It was rather more on monitoring and evaluation. Paying little attention to information and mental health support in emergencies and  pandemics as one of the key drivers of innovation adoption has been widely cited as a notable mHealth limitation.

Methods:

This systematic review navigated through English authored peer-reviewed publications from health, computer engineering and social science repositories as guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. The search was confined between February 2018 and April 2021 thus, yielding eleven (11) complete-text publications.

Results:

HcPs in the reviewed literature have used mobile-technology applications for monitoring and management of sexual (18.2%), reproductive & maternal health (9.1%), HIV (45.5%), Malaria (9.1%) and other chronic diseases (36.4%). Commonly mentioned sub-features in 72.7% of the studies identified motivation and trust attributes as desirable, 36.4% highlighting synchronism of technology, adaptability of App with different mobile-phones recorded in 45.5% of the studies while 63.6% value the fit-for-purpose attribute. These features were cited as desirable with little evidence of the geo-social influence of the users nor socio-economic setting.

Conclusion:

The study exposed the HcPs’ perceptions to the mobile-technology attributes as customised requirements, process requirements, moderating information-technology constructs and intervening & dependent requirements. Geospatial setting and income status of the country are less important in shaping the perceptions of HcPs as users of the mobile-technology.

Keywords

  • Healthcare provider
  • mHealth
  • COVID 19
  • medical emergency
  • pandemic
  • App attributes/features