FHS Bangladesh Research Brief 6: Knowledge of, Attitude towards, and Use of mHealth Services in Chakaria, Bangladesh

Abstract

Bangladesh has a serious shortage of physicians, paramedics, nurses, and midwives. The available qualified care providers are centred in urban areas, resulting in an inequitable access of the rural and disadvantaged sections of the population to healthcare. Under these circumstances, the use of mHealth meaning provision of healthcare services through mobile devices provides a new opportunity to ensure access to quality healthcare services for the population in general, and for people from poorer sections and hard-to-reach areas in particular. There are currently around 20 mHealth service initiatives in the country which are mostly telephone hotlines for consulting physicians and/or obtaining healthcare information. Effectiveness of these services depends on the evidence-informed development of appropriate programmes designed around people’s perceptions of mHealth and user feedback. To that end, FHS Bangladesh partner, ICDDR,B recently conducted a survey on mHealth in Chakaria, a rural area in the southeast coastal area of Bangladesh. This brief presents the findings from this survey.

Citation

Anon. FHS Bangladesh Research Brief 6: Knowledge of, Attitude towards, and Use of mHealth Services in Chakaria, Bangladesh. (2013) 4 pp.

FHS Bangladesh Research Brief 6: Knowledge of, Attitude towards, and Use of mHealth Services in Chakaria, Bangladesh

Published 1 January 2013