Abstract
Based on wireless technologies, Africa is undergoing a revolution in ICT. Efforts to employ the mobile phones beyond the conventional communication tool are underway. Mobile technology can be used to detect and respond to disease outbreaks and improve public health and health care provision. Mobile health (m-health) is believed to be appropriate in Sub Saharan Africa. However, m-health applications are not yet widely used in SSA. This study addresses two basic research questions. (1). How do m-health systems produce positive results in SSA context? (2). How does m-health integrate with and augment the conventional health care system in SSA? The study assesses the technical, economic, socio-cultural, organizational, and policy related issues impacting the adoption and use of m-health using Task-Technology Fit Model as a lens and theoretical foundation. Positivist case study research methodology is used. Survey will be carried out in Ethiopia and secondary data will be gathered from Uganda and Kenya for comparative analysis; the hope is to provide insights for understanding and explaining individual and institutional factors impacting successful adoption and use of m-health. It may also provide relevant findings that may help policy makers in SSA expand m-health.
Recommended Citation
Musa, Philip, "Mobile health (m-health) for expanding health care services in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA): A Task- Technology Fit (TTF) perspective" (2012). AMCIS 2012 Proceedings. 7.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/amcis2012/proceedings/Posters/7
Mobile health (m-health) for expanding health care services in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA): A Task- Technology Fit (TTF) perspective
Based on wireless technologies, Africa is undergoing a revolution in ICT. Efforts to employ the mobile phones beyond the conventional communication tool are underway. Mobile technology can be used to detect and respond to disease outbreaks and improve public health and health care provision. Mobile health (m-health) is believed to be appropriate in Sub Saharan Africa. However, m-health applications are not yet widely used in SSA. This study addresses two basic research questions. (1). How do m-health systems produce positive results in SSA context? (2). How does m-health integrate with and augment the conventional health care system in SSA? The study assesses the technical, economic, socio-cultural, organizational, and policy related issues impacting the adoption and use of m-health using Task-Technology Fit Model as a lens and theoretical foundation. Positivist case study research methodology is used. Survey will be carried out in Ethiopia and secondary data will be gathered from Uganda and Kenya for comparative analysis; the hope is to provide insights for understanding and explaining individual and institutional factors impacting successful adoption and use of m-health. It may also provide relevant findings that may help policy makers in SSA expand m-health.