The MomConnect Nurses and Midwives Support Platform (NurseConnect): A Qualitative Process Evaluation.
| Title: | The MomConnect Nurses and Midwives Support Platform (NurseConnect): A Qualitative Process Evaluation. |
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| Authors: | Fischer AE; Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.; Sebidi J; HIV/AIDS, TB and MCWH, National Department of Health, Government of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa.; Barron P; HIV/AIDS, TB and MCWH, National Department of Health, Government of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa.; School of Public Health, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.; Lalla-Edward ST; Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. |
| Source: | JMIR mHealth and uHealth [JMIR Mhealth Uhealth] 2019 Feb 13; Vol. 7 (2), pp. e11644. Date of Electronic Publication: 2019 Feb 13. |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article; Multicenter Study; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc Country of Publication: Canada NLM ID: 101624439 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Print ISSN: 2291-5222 (Print) Linking ISSN: 22915222 NLM ISO Abbreviation: JMIR Mhealth Uhealth Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: Toronto: JMIR Publications Inc., [2013]- |
| MeSH Terms: | Nurse-Patient Relations*; Mothers/*psychology ; Nurse Midwives/*psychology; Focus Groups/methods ; Interviews as Topic/methods ; Mothers/statistics & numerical data ; Nurse Midwives/statistics & numerical data ; Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pregnancy ; Qualitative Research ; South Africa |
| Abstract: | Background: Over the past decade, mobile health has steadily increased in low-income and middle-income countries. However, few platforms have been able to sustainably scale up like the MomConnect program in South Africa. NurseConnect was created as a capacity building component of MomConnect, aimed at supporting nurses and midwives in maternal and child health. The National Department of Health has committed to expanding NurseConnect to all nurses across the country, and an evaluation of the current user experience was conducted to inform a successful scale up.; Objective: This study aims to evaluate the perception and use of NurseConnect by nurses and midwives to produce feedback that can be used to optimize the user experience as the platform continues to scale up.; Methods: We conducted focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with 110 nurses and midwives from 18 randomly selected health care facilities across South Africa. Questions focused on mobile phone use, access to medical information and their experience with NurseConnect registration, as well as the content and different platforms.; Results: All participants had mobile phones and communication through calls and messaging was the main use in both personal and work settings. Of 110 participants, 108 (98.2%) had data-enabled phones, and the internet, Google, and apps (South African National Department of Health Guidelines, iTriage, Drugs.com) were commonly used, especially to find information in the work setting. Of 110 participants, 62 (56.4%) were registered NurseConnect users and liked the message content, especially listeriosis and motivational messages, which created behavioral change in some instances. The mobisite and helpdesk, however, were underutilized because of a lack of information surrounding these platforms. Some participants did not trust medical information from websites and had more confidence in apps, while others associated a "helpdesk" with a call-in service, not a messaging one. Many of the unregistered participants had not heard of NurseConnect, and some cited data and time constraints as barriers to both registration and uptake.; Conclusions: Mobile and smartphone penetration was very high, and participants often used their phone to find medical information. The NurseConnect messages were well-liked by all registered participants; however, the mobisite and helpdesk were underutilized owing to a lack of information and training around these platforms. Enhanced marketing and training initiatives that optimize existing social networks, as well as the provision of data and Wi-Fi, should be explored to ensure that registration improves, and that users are active across all platforms.; (©Alex Emilio Fischer, Jane Sebidi, Peter Barron, Samanta Tresha Lalla-Edward. Originally published in JMIR Mhealth and Uhealth (http://mhealth.jmir.org), 13.02.2019.) |
| References: | Trop Med Int Health. 2015 Aug;20(8):1003-14. (PMID: 25881735); Soc Sci Med. 2018 Feb;198:139-147. (PMID: 29335160); Glob Health Action. 2015 Apr 21;8:27265. (PMID: 25906769); Glob Health Action. 2014 Oct 27;7:25606. (PMID: 25361730); BMJ Glob Health. 2018 Apr 24;3(Suppl 2):e000563. (PMID: 29713506); PLoS Med. 2013;10(1):e1001363. (PMID: 23458994); BMJ. 2016 Mar 17;352:i1174. (PMID: 26988021) |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: MomConnect; NurseConnect; South Africa; evaluation; mHealth; mobile phone |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20190214 Date Completed: 20200129 Latest Revision: 20200309 |
| Update Code: | 20260130 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC6391642 |
| DOI: | 10.2196/11644 |
| PMID: | 30758298 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
Journal Article; Multicenter Study; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't