Innovative ‘Informal’ Mhealth: How Are Community Health Nurses Utilizing Their Mobile Phones to Improve Healthcare Delivery in Ghana?

Samuel Asiedu Owusu, University of Cape Coast
Albert Machistey Abane, University of Cape Coast
Simon Mariwah, University of Cape Coast
Kate Hampshire, University of Durham
Kasim Adetayo, Durham University

Mobile health has been is seen as a panacea for bridging healthcare gaps in many countries. While much research has focused on formal mhealth initiatives, little is known about what Community Health Nurses (CHNs) in Ghana are doing with their mobile phones and its implications for healthcare. Using a mixed-method approach, we collected data from 598 CHNs from 15 districts in three regions of Ghana, Other national stakeholders were also interviewed while nine FGDs have been conducted. We found that there is virtually no formal mHealth in the selected health facilities. CHNs across Ghana are using their own mobile phones and airtime to facilitate healthcare delivery, and saving lives in critical emergency situations. However, most CHNs face several challenges in the use of their mobile phones for healthcare delivery, like poor network coverage and expense of airtime. Our study can help inform policy and practice in Ghana health systems.