Dear HIFA colleagues
Informal personal phone use by healthcare workers is widespread and in some settings may be implicitly required by managers or policymakers in order to keep services functioning. This use has several benefits including faster communication, easier information sharing, and improved coordination for patients, health workers, and the system overall. However, it also raises risks and challenges - for example, the creation of “shadow IT systems”, data privacy concerns, added personal costs for staff, and blurred work–life boundaries.
This webinar will present and discuss a draft evidence-informed checklist for stakeholders who are considering how to address health workers’ informal use of personal phones for everyday work tasks. The checklist offers prompts and examples to help health service managers and policymakers identify strategies suitable for their context to support the benefits of informal phone use while minimizing potential harms.
Date and time: 12 May, 13.00 - 14.30 Geneva time
Registration: https://NTNU.zoom.us/meeting/register/Fyqa2nSDRZSrGWDhR5nqFg
Organised by: Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL); Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU); and Makerere University.
Moderated by: WHO.
Opening remarks: Dr Alain Labrique, Director, Department of Data, Digital Health, Analytics and Artificial Intelligence, WHO
Presenters and facilitators:
Prof Claire Glenton, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL), Norway
Prof Simon Lewin, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway
Dr Rehema Namaganda, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Uganda
Prof Nelson Sewankambo, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Uganda
Dr Tigest Tamrat, Department of Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, Child, Adolescent Health and Ageing, including the UNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (HRP), WHO
We look forward to seeing you at the webinar!
With kind regards
Simon
HIFA profile: Simon Lewin is a health systems researcher at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) (https://www.ntnu.edu/employees/simon.lewin), the South African Medical Research Council (www.mrc.ac.za) and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (https://www.fhi.no/en/kn/ceir/). He has a keen interest in how research evidence can be used to inform decisions for health systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and at the global level in multilateral organisations such as the WHO. As Co-Lead of Cochrane People, Health Systems and Public Health, he has played a key role in strengthening Cochrane’s work in the field of health systems and in developing Cochrane methods for qualitative evidence synthesis. Cochrane is a HIFA supporting organisation and Simon is a member of three HIFA working groups: CHWs; mHealth-Innovate (informal use of mobile phones by health workers) and Support-Systems - How can decision-making processes for health systems strengthening and universal health coverage be made more inclusive, responsive and accountable? https://www.hifa.org/support/members/simon Email: simon.lewin AT ntnu.no