Abstract
BackgroundThe network structure of an organization influences how well or poorly an organization communicates and manages its resources. In the Millennium Villages Project site in Bonsaaso, Ghana, a mobile phone closed user group has been introduced for use by the Bonsaaso Millennium Villages Project Health Team and other key individuals. No assessment on the benefits or barriers of the use of the closed user group had been carried out.ObjectiveThe purpose of this research was to make the case for the use of social network analysis methods to be applied in health systems research—specifically related to mobile health.MethodsThis study used mobile phone voice records of, conducted interviews with, and reviewed call journals kept by a mobile phone closed user group consisting of the Bonsaaso Millennium Villages Project Health Team. Social network analysis methodology complemented by a qualitative component was used. Monthly voice data of the closed user group from Airtel Bharti Ghana were analyzed using UCINET and visual depictions of the network were created using NetDraw. Interviews and call journals kept by informants were analyzed using NVivo.ResultsThe methodology was successful in helping identify effective organizational structure. Members of the Health Management Team were the more central players in the network, rather than the Community Health Nurses (who might have been expected to be central).ConclusionsSocial network analysis methodology can be used to determine the most productive structure for an organization or team, identify gaps in communication, identify key actors with greatest influence, and more. In conclusion, this methodology can be a useful analytical tool, especially in the context of mobile health, health services, and operational and managerial research.
Highlights
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Close to 60% of participating countries in the high-income group reported treatment compliance initiatives, compared to approximately 30% for the other income groups. These results are consistent with the literature review, which found a concentration of studies from high-income countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, and United States with treatment compliance programmes using short messaging service (SMS), mobile phone applications, web browsing and e-mail for chronic diseases such as diabetes, asthma, and obesity [12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20]
Summary
Governments are expressing interest in mHealth as a complementary strategy for strengthening health systems and achieving the health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in low and middleincome countries.1 This interest has manifested into a series of mHealth deployments worldwide that are providing early evidence of the potential for mobile and wireless technologies. The field’s potential is recognized by the United Nations (UN) and World Health Organization (WHO) The former included mHealth as a key innovation to achieve the goals outlined in the new Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health launched in New York on 22 September 2010. The latter included a module on mHealth in the 2009 Global eHealth survey. MHealth involves the use and capitalization on a mobile phone’s core utility of voice and short messaging service (SMS) as well as more complex functionalities and applications including general packet radio service (GPRS), third and fourth generation mobile telecommunications (3G and 4G systems), global positioning system (GPS), and Bluetooth technology
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