Mhealth for Pneumonia Prevention

Aim:To determine the feasibility of an mhealth intervention used by LHWs to counsel caregivers on under five pneumoniaOutline of context:Pneumonia contributes to 14% of under-five mortality in Pakistan. Delayed care seeking is one of the causes of death due to this disease. One of the most impactful strategies can be timely healthcare seeking through Community Health Workers (CHWs), known as lady health workers (LHWs) in Pakistan.Description of the change:We plan to explore mobile health technology use by LHWs for the counselling of caregivers of under five children on pneumonia.Strategy for change:The first phase of the feasibility study comprised a systematic review (SR) on mobile health-based approaches for CHWs on management of childhood illness, followed by formative research (FR) to understand the reason of delayed care seeking and perception of under-five pneumonia. In the SR, 6 databases were searched (Medline, Embase, Psych Info, CINAHL, AMED and Global Health), and 25 articles were included. In the FR, twelve in depth interviews (IDIs) with mothers, two Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with father, and two FGDs with paternal grandmothers of under-five children were conducted in rural Islamabad, Pakistan. A pretested discussion/ interview guide was used to collect data in local language and translated into English for thematic analysis.Effects of Change:Our study is not finished yet, the effects of change will be measured at the end.Lessons Learnt:Findings of the systematic review suggest that the most common approaches of mobile health for CHWs is use of a customized application for disease management and electronic health records in addition to text message reminders to caregivers. Findings of formative research suggest that the majority of caregivers were not aware of danger signs of pneumonia and indicated waiting and watching as one of the common reasons of delayed care seeking. Respondents agreed to the importance and suggested recommendations of an educational intervention package on pneumonia and its prevention by LHWs through mobile health.Message for others:As a result of the findings of the SR and FR, a feasibility study of an mHealth intervention has been proposed to facilitate LHWs educating caregivers on under five pneumonia. Research Ideas on Respiratory Conditions and Tobacco Dependency Abstract Declaration of Interest This research was commissioned by National Institute of Health Research using Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding. The views expressed in this publication are those of author(s) and not necessarily those of NHS, the National Institute of Health Research, or development of Health. References and Clinical Trial Registry Information