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BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making

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Open Access 01-12-2015 | Research article

Experience of using mHealth to link village doctors with physicians: lessons from Chakaria, Bangladesh

Authors: Nazib Uz Zaman Khan, Sabrina Rasheed, Tamanna Sharmin, Tanvir Ahmed, Shehrin Shaila Mahmood, Fatema Khatun, SMA Hanifi, Shahidul Hoque, Mohammad Iqbal, Abbas Bhuiya

Published in: BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making | Issue 1/2015

Abstract

Background

Bangladesh is facing serious shortage of trained health professionals. In the pluralistic healthcare system of Bangladesh, formal health care providers constitute only 5 % of the total workforce; the rest are informal health care providers. Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) are increasingly seen as a powerful tool for linking the community with formal healthcare providers. Our study assesses an intervention that linked village doctors (a cadre of informal health care providers practising modern medicine) to formal doctors through call centres from the perspective of the village doctors who participated in the intervention.

Methods

The study was conducted in Chakaria, a remote rural area in south-eastern Bangladesh during April–May 2013. Twelve village doctors were selected purposively from a pool of 55 village doctors who participated in the mobile health (mHealth) intervention. In depth interviews were conducted to collect data. The data were manually analysed using themes that emerged.

Result

The village doctors talked about both business benefits (access to formal doctors, getting support for decision making, and being entitled to call trained doctors) and personal benefits (both financial and non-financial). Some of the major barriers mentioned were technical problems related to accessing the call centre, charging consultation fees, and unfamiliarity with the call centre physicians.

Conclusion

Village doctors saw many benefits to having a business relationship with the trained doctors that the mHealth intervention provided. mHealth through call centres has the potential to ensure consultation services to populations through existing informal healthcare providers in settings with a shortage of qualified healthcare providers.

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Title: Experience of using mHealth to link village doctors with physicians: lessons from Chakaria, Bangladesh
Authors: Nazib Uz Zaman Khan
Sabrina Rasheed
Tamanna Sharmin
Tanvir Ahmed
Shehrin Shaila Mahmood
Fatema Khatun
SMA Hanifi
Shahidul Hoque
Mohammad Iqbal
Abbas Bhuiya
Publication date: 01-12-2015
Publisher: BioMed Central
Published in: BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making / Issue 1/2015
Electronic ISSN: 1472-6947
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12911-015-0188-9

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Experience of using mHealth to link village doctors with physicians: lessons from Chakaria, Bangladesh

Abstract

Background

Methods

Result

Conclusion

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Background

Methods

Result

Conclusion

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