Using mobile phones and social media to facilitate education and support for rural-based midwives in South Africa.

Jennifer Chipps,Fiona Walters,Christoph Pimmer,Sebastian Linxen,Urs Gröhbiel,Thandi Ndebele,Petra Brysiewicz

doi:10.4102/curationis.v38i2.1500

Abstract

BackgroundEmpirical studies show the value of mobile phones as effective educational tools to support learning in the nursing profession, predominantly in high income countries.Problem statementThe rapidly increasing prevalence of mobile phone technology in Africa nourishes hopes that these tools could be equally effective in lowly resourced contexts, specifically in efforts to achieve the health-related Millennium Development goals. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perception and use of mobile phones as educational and professional tools by nurses in lowly resourced settings.MethodologyA quantitative survey using self-administered questionnaires was conducted of rural advanced midwives.ResultsFifty-six nurses (49.6%) from the 113 rural-based midwives attending an advanced midwifery training programme at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, filled in a questionnaire. The results showed that, whilst nurses regarded their technology competences as low and although they received very little official support from their educational and professional institutions, the majority frequently used mobile functions and applications to support their work and learning processes. They perceived mobile devices with their voice, text, and email functions as important tools for the educational and professional activities of searching for information and engaging with facilitators and peers from work and study contexts. To a lesser extent, the use of social networks, such as WhatsApp and Facebook, were also reported.Conclusion and recommendationIt is concluded that educational institutions should support the appropriate use of mobile phones more systematically; particularly in relation to the development of mobile network literacy skills.

Highlights

IntroductionChallenges of health workers in rural areas and the potential of mobile technology In rural and disadvantaged areas in lower- and middle-income countries, health workers have limited access to education, up-to-date knowledge, and professional networks
As part of a strategy to address three of the Millennium Development goals to improve child and maternal health and fighting HIV, rural-based registered midwives have been enrolled in a part-time, two-year, Advanced Midwifery Programme at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
In South Africa mobile phones offer access to the Internet more readily than fixed line Internet connections at home, in rural households where 17.9% of rural households access the Internet by using mobile devices as opposed to home Internet connection (2%) (Statistics South Africa 2013)

Summary

Introduction

Challenges of health workers in rural areas and the potential of mobile technology In rural and disadvantaged areas in lower- and middle-income countries, health workers have limited access to education, up-to-date knowledge, and professional networks. These conditions contribute, amongst others, to professional isolation, attrition, poor performance, and emigration (HIFA Report 2010; Hongoro & McPake 2004; WHO 2010). In South Africa this increase includes 94.2 mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 people (The World Bank 2011) and a mobile broadband penetration that had reached 29% by the end of 2013 (ITU 2014) In this light, United Nations organisations, such as UNICEF, ITU and the World Bank, have great expectations for the potential of mobile phones to support and educate health care http://www.curationis.org.za doi:10.4102/curationis.v38i2.1500

Objectives

Results

Discussion

Conclusion