Dear Simon and all,
You say:
"Another interesting point is the pressure that healthcare workers may experience to use their personal phone or get a smartphone. In our review of qualitative studies on informal uses of mobile phones, one study reported that a manager had suggested that healthcare workers purchase a smartphone and install whatsapp as this would make it easier for him to communicate with them. Have others seen examples of this kind of pressure in their settings?"
Yes, it would be very helpful to see if this experience is shared by others.
In the example you give above, health workers may have been willing to buy a smartphone for their work (and personal use, especially if there was an incentive). I think this issue is likely to be come progressively less important as more health workers own smartphones anyway. The issue of remuneration for the cost of the phone and airtime remains important and it would be interesting to hear how great an issue this is for health workers and managers, and what they do to address it.
Our systematic review notes: 'In some settings, healthcare workers' personal phone use, although unregulated, has become normal and part of many work processes. Healthcare workers may therefore experience pressure or expectations from colleagues and managers to use their personal phones.' 'This statement is based on two individual findings. One of the findings is high confidence, and the same statement could still be made without the other finding, which is of moderate confidence.'
The second statement does not necessarily follow from the first. It would be good to understand this further from the perspectiveoof the primary studies in Uganda.
I would expect the vast majority of health workers to find it acceptable that they use their personal phones for work, although remuneration of costs is likely to be an issue.
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org