Mhealth in Resource-Constrained Settings : Case Studies from Malawi

mHealth in Resource-constrained Settings: This study focuses on the opportunities and challenges associated with the use of mobile phones to support health information reporting and access, using SMS and voice calls. The study was conducted at two rural hospitals in Malawi. The study shows that besides supporting user intentions, mobile phones also expose users to various challenges. For example, empirical evidence shows that unlike fixed computing terminals, mobile phones allow users to stay in contact with colleagues and clients from various unpredictable places. On the other hand, they present users with the constant need to recharge their phones' batteries. Besides this, the study discusses means that can be adopted to minimize the challenges associated with mobile phone use, to the benefit of users.The study also looks at how organizational, personal, cultural, and technological factors that make up the context of use, influence the implementation and use of mobile phone solutions.