Supplementary Services Research Articles

Market concentration of the Brazilian hospital medical supplementary health system

BackgroundThe Brazilian supplementary health market has undergone transformations in recent years due to constant mergers and acquisitions of by large corporations, contributing to the increase in market concentration, especially in the poorest and least developed regions of the country. Thus, given the care it provides and its economic relevance, understanding the fundamentals of these movements, the likely consequences and trends for the health market are relevant, important, and strategic.ObjectiveTo understand the general and specific context of Brazilian supplementary health, its scenarios, and trends, with emphasis on the analysis of market concentration and recent mergers and acquisitions.MethodologyThe research is applied, descriptive and exploratory and uses secondary data from various sources, submitted to quantitative data analysis methods. The data are organized into three groups: historical and regulatory documents; industry data; and market.ResultsThe results show the growing concentration of the market promoted by large publicly traded corporations, the growing relevance of tech startups on the healthcare landscape, the predominant use of the relative valuation model, with implicit multiples for asset pricing and the prevalence of corporate health plans.ConclusionThe growing concentration of the system projects a market with fewer options and less competitiveness, since the growth of large operators is evident, in addition to the relevant increase in the number of complaints from users of the system, which signals the growing gap between the expectations of users and the levels of quality care offered. The study also highlights the predominance of corporate health plans, revealing the direct relationship between access to supplementary health services and employability rates. The analysis of M&A operations, in addition to the increase in market concentration, reveals the prevalence of the use of the relative valuation model and implicit multiples for the pricing of traded assets. This denotes the future expectation of wealth generation, at least equivalent to the historical series of the sector, on the part of investors, whose frustration may signal the decreasing attractiveness of resources and M&A operations in the sector in the coming years.

Special measures to promote supplementary professional education services: formation and evaluation of effectiveness

Introduction. The problem of promotion of supplementary professional education services is one of the important issues for attracting consumers of professional retraining and advanced development programmes, contributing to marketing attainments and a company’s efficiency in general. The solution largely depends on the developmental level of the market of supplementary professional education services at a regional level, the specifics and quality of training courses, as well as the relevance of promotion tools used by the organisation. Purpose of the research: development and approbation of the methodology for forming and evaluating the effectiveness of a special tool for the promotion of supplementary professional education services. Materials and methods. To determine the format of a special survey, an online questioning of 1,035 potential consumers was carried out; ten marketing and advertising experts were interviewed and selected by the Delphi method modified by J. Fowles; a questioning of 319 participants and 20 organisers of the special survey was undertaken. The expert judgement was arranged using the Hierarchy Analysis Method by T. Saati, including the processing of the data obtained in the course of the experts interviewing and the calculation of eigenvectors of the pairwise comparison matrix. Results. A methodology for forming and evaluating the effectiveness of a special survey was developed. As a result of the approbation, eleven qualitative indicators were evaluated, scoring 7.92 out of nine, totalling 88%. The quantitative indicators, particularly, the engagement index was 56.8%; the key performance indicator was 8.5% and the return on investment was 336.8%. As a result of the special survey, 27 participants acquired the Internet marketing course. Conclusion. The proposed methodology can extend the opportunities of organisations providing supplementary special education services in terms of selecting, planning and realisation of efficient promotion tools. The methodology can be applied to the formation and evaluation of different-format special surveys with regard to their specifics.

Quality of IEPs for Students with Complex Support Needs: Is There Alignment Across IEP Components?

ABSTRACT Educators and families develop individualized education programs (IEPs) to address unique needs of individual students with disabilities. Addressing all student needs is critical to ensuring students receive a free and appropriate public education. To understand how IEP teams address the needs of students with complex support needs, we examined the alignment of IEP goals and supplementary aids and services with the stated needs of 112 elementary students with complex support needs as reported in their present levels of academic achievement and functional performance. We found there was a large amount of variation in alignment, but that 32.76% of stated student needs were not addressed by goals or supplementary aids and services. Neither educational placement nor type of student need was statistically significant in terms of whether a student need was addressed in the IEP. These findings suggest a serious threat to a student’s right to a free and appropriate public education. Implications for practice and research are discussed.

Predictors of Islamic Financial Inclusion in the Northwest Nigeria: A Preliminary Cross-Sectional Investigation

Financial inclusion is seen widely as a tool for attaining macroeconomic objectives of economic growth, poverty reduction, economic prosperity, and the like. The phenomenon of Islamic financial inclusion is a decade old in Nigeria. As prelude (pilot) to broader study, this paper conducts a preliminary assessment of predictors of Islamic financial inclusion in the Northwest zone which is composed of seven (7) states in Nigeria. Leveraging on expositions in both the theoretical and empirical literature on dimensions of financial inclusion; access, use, quality, and barriers, this study constructs three logistic regression models based on access to financing facilities, access through automated teller machine (ATM), and access using unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) banking code. Results show that while the access to financing logistic model outperforms the other two models, household’s location and years of business (YOB) experience were statistically significant across all three models implying that those in the urban areas and with more years of business experience tend to be more financially included than their counterparts in the rural areas. In line with intuition, age of the household and YOB experience are averse to the use of ATM card and USSD code for banking transactions. The paper recommends improved infrastructure provision and increased reach to rural areas through innovative banking service delivery to enhance financial inclusion in the zone. This study is among earliest attempts that assesses the predictors of Islamic financial inclusion in the Northwest, Nigeria.

Satisfaction of mothers with supplementary nutritional services through Anganwadi centres in an urban area of Meerut, India.

Undernutrition in children under 5 years of age is still a great public health burden. Integrated child development services (ICDS) were launched with an idea of making a dent on this age-old issue. Various studies in the past have been done to identify lacunae in the programme, but very few studies are done focussing on the satisfaction of mothers with the supplementary nutrition provided through ICDS programme. The utilisation of the programme depends on various factors, one of which is client satisfaction. The Anganwadi centres of urban areas of Meerut were line-listed after taking a list of Anganwadis from the Child Development Office. There are 297 Anganwadis in urban areas of Meerut. With help of random number tables, three Anganwadis were selected, and to complete the sample of 152, 51 children from two Anganwadis and 50 from one Anganwadi centre were selected with help of simple random tables. The data thus collected were analysed using Epiinfo version 7.2.3.1. The prevalence of underweight was found to be 34.2%, wasted 19.7%, and stunted 11.2%. Among the characteristics assessed, a majority of mothers, 58.5%, were dissatisfied with the frequency at which supplementary nutrition was provided from the Anganwadis. All children were provided Take Home Ration, and 100.0% of mothers reported using it for all family members. Still 63.2% of mothers were unaware about the iron supplementation in childhood and only 65.8% of mothers had satisfactory handwashing practices. In this study, a majority of mothers were dissatisfied with the frequency at which supplementary nutrition was provided to their children. Also, the prevalence of underweight children was significantly higher when mothers were not aware about the factors affecting nutrition in children. The Take Home Ration given for children was shared among family members in 100.0% families.

A Journey of Retail banking in India

Retail banking serves as the most prominent interface between the banking sector and the general public. It encompasses the provision of a wide array of banking products and services specifically tailored for individual customers, typically for non-entrepreneurial purposes. These offerings span across both sides of the financial ledger, encompassing fixed, current, and savings accounts on the liability side, while on the asset side, it encompasses mortgages and various forms of loans (including personal, housing, automotive, and educational loans). Furthermore, retail banking extends to include services such as credit cards, depository services, and an array of supplementary para-banking products and services, including insurance products and capital market offerings, tailored to meet the diverse needs of individuals. In essence, retail banking represents a pivotal stage in the evolution of banking services. While this sector presents substantial opportunities for expansion, it is equally accompanied by formidable challenges. Stringent regulatory requirements aimed at safeguarding consumer interests, exposure to risks stemming from a global economic slowdown, and the ever-growing expectations of customers necessitate continual innovation by banks for sustained growth. This article delves into various facets of retail banking in India, with a primary focus on the challenges it faces and the most recent trends that shape its landscape.

Disintermediation of consumer services through blockchain? The role of intermediary brands, value-added services, and privacy concerns

This paper explores the dynamics between value-added services, intermediary brands, and consumer privacy concerns in shaping attitudes toward blockchain-enabled consumer services. Grounded in the Antecedents-Privacy Concerns-Outcomes (APCO) framework, we develop a theoretical model that we test in three experimental studies with a total of 1613 participants, utilizing verbal scenarios featuring blockchain applications for international money transfer and hotel booking. Our research reveals that complete disintermediation via pure peer-to-peer blockchain transactions is unlikely. Consumers prefer blockchain applications offering supplementary services like call centers, password assistance, and cancellation options. As consumers become familiar with blockchain technology, privacy concerns intensify due to its distributed and immutable storage. The fears of data breaches are more pronounced when blockchain applications are offered by unknown startups as opposed to well-known Big Tech companies. However, privacy-conscious consumers also value the prospect of distancing themselves from big-data ecosystems by embracing blockchain solutions from startups. Our research extends the APCO framework by clarifying how privacy concerns, brand-based heuristics, and technological attributes interact. For managerial implications, blockchain applications necessitate re-intermediation to meet consumer preferences. Potential intermediaries, including Big Tech firms, startups, and industry incumbents, face unique challenges in developing and marketing blockchain-enabled consumer services.

Equity in Access to Nutrition through ICDS

With the recognition of the problem of child malnutrition in India, the government provides supplementary nutrition under the flagship scheme of Integrated Child Development Services. The scheme has a specific focus on children from geographically and socio-economically disadvantaged groups. In the recent past, although several studies have looked into the access of children to supplementary nutrition services, the effectiveness of the services on children’s nutrition status through the lens of equity has however not drawn adequate attention. This article assesses the nutritional status of children across social groups based on the standard of ‘Nutritive Value of Indian Food’. Data collected from a sample of 286 children across social groups registered under the ICDS scheme covering ten villages in two rural districts of one state; reveals that although the supplementary nutrition meets the protein intake as per the Recommended Dietary Allowances norm, deficiencies are observed in the intakes of nutrients like calorie, calcium and iron. There are notable differentials among children across social groups in the intake of nutrients. The article calls for monitoring of adequacy of supplementary nutrition services for children from disadvantaged groups, and raising nutritional awareness among caregivers.

Full Characterisation of Heroin Samples Using Infrared Spectroscopy and Multivariate Calibration.

The analysis of heroin samples, before use in the protected environment of user centra, could be a supplementary service in the context of harm reduction. Infrared spectroscopy hyphenated with multivariate calibration could be a valuable asset in this context, and therefore 125 heroin samples were collected directly from users and analysed with classical chromatographic techniques. Further, Mid-Infrared spectra were collected for all samples, to be used in Partial Least Squares (PLS) modelling, in order to obtain qualitative and quantitative models based on real live samples. The approach showed that it was possible to identify and quantify heroin in the samples based on the collected spectral data and PLS modelling. These models were able to identify heroin correctly for 96% of the samples of the external test set with precision, specificity and sensitivity values of 100.0, 75.0 and 95.5%, respectively. For regression, a root mean squared error of prediction (RMSEP) of 0.04 was obtained, pointing at good predictive properties. Furthermore, during mass spectrometric screening, 10 different adulterants and impurities were encountered. Using the spectral data to model the presence of each of these resulted in performant models for seven of them. All models showed promising correct-classification rates (between 92 and 96%) and good values for sensitivity, specificity and precision. For codeine and morphine, the models were not satisfactory, probably due to the low concentration of these impurities as a consequence of acetylation. For methacetin, the approach failed.

Understanding the behaviour of medical tourists: implications for strategy development

ABSTRACT Strategy and policy development for medical tourism largely depends on knowledge and understanding of the behavioral intentions of patients for cross-border travel to seek healthcare services. This study utilizes the Extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) and decision tree models to explore the behavioral intentions of medical tourists and identify key factors for predicting medical tourism adoption decisions by patients. Safety expectancy and waiting time are found to be the most influential features for the prediction of behavioral intention and adoption behavior. Though social influence and price-value are found to be very important in predicting behavioral intentions, these features become redundant in predicting medical tourism adoption behavior. This study also reveals that medical tourists rarely consider recreational benefits as a supplementary service besides health services; rather, they decide to pursue medical services based on the primary healthcare service itself. This finding can provide deep knowledge to develop policies and strategies for medical tourism. Highlights An expanded conceptual framework is proposed to explore medical tourism. Six major factors emerged as determinants of tourists’ behavioral intentions. Impact of effort expectancy on behavioral intention is insignificant. Safety expectancy and waiting time are dominant predictors of behavioral intention. No significant impact of hedonic urge on medical tourism adoption behaviour.

Reviewing the evolution of U. S. telemedicine post-pandemic by analyzing its growth, acceptability, and challenges in remote healthcare delivery during Global Health Crises

This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the evolution, growth, acceptability, and challenges of telemedicine in the United States, particularly in the post-pandemic era. The primary objective was to understand the impact of telemedicine on healthcare delivery, technological advancements, and policy implications. Utilizing a systematic literature review and content analysis methodology, the study sourced data from electronic databases such as PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, focusing on peer-reviewed articles published between 2010 and 2023. Key findings indicate that telemedicine experienced significant growth during the COVID-19 pandemic, transitioning from a supplementary healthcare service to a primary mode of healthcare delivery. This growth was facilitated by advancements in digital technologies and necessitated by the need for remote healthcare services. The study identified challenges in telemedicine, including technological barriers, regulatory issues, and concerns regarding equitable access. Despite these challenges, telemedicine has shown potential in enhancing healthcare accessibility, efficiency, and patient-centered care. The study concludes that telemedicine is poised to play a crucial role in the future of healthcare, with opportunities for further integration into routine healthcare practices. However, this requires robust regulatory frameworks, stakeholder engagement, and continued technological innovation. Recommendations for healthcare leaders and policymakers include developing comprehensive telemedicine policies and investing in infrastructure to support telehealth services. Future research directions involve exploring long-term outcomes of telemedicine interventions and its economic impact on healthcare systems.

Identifying, Prioritizing, and Assessing Factors Influencing Customer Satisfaction Covered by Supplemental Insurance: A Mixed-Method Study

Background: With increasing specialization in various sectors of the market environment, it has become essential to identify customer satisfaction indicators and prioritize them to enhance the provision of supplementary health insurance services. Objectives: This study aimed to identify, prioritize, and assess satisfaction indicators among individuals covered by supplemental insurance. Methods: This exploratory mixed-method study involved 20 participants, including university faculty members, managers, and insurance experts in Khuzestan province. In the qualitative phase, a scoping review of relevant literature was initially conducted using electronic databases such as Scopus and Web of Science to extract key axes. Subsequently, in two stages of fuzzy Delphi, relevant indicators were extracted and then prioritized by a panel of experts using the fuzzy AHP method. Results: A total of 33 articles were retrieved through the database search. Following semi-structured interviews, 11 indicators were identified, including premium, insurance obligations limit, timely payment of expenses, provision of online services, respectful treatment, reasonableness of required documents, waiting period, complaint handling, franchising information, and discrimination in service provision. Among these factors, the premium had the highest priority, with a final weight of 0.190. Conclusions: The results highlight the significance of premium as the most influential factor in the study. Therefore, insurance company managers should focus on increasing insured individuals' satisfaction and enhancing their companies' overall perception.

Analiza paketske komutacije u VoIP telefoniji na komandnom mestu jedinica taktičkog nivoa

Introduction/purpose: This paper conducts a comprehensive analysis of a potential implementation of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) systems, focusing on network architecture, VoIP phones, and servers. The study explores potential vulnerabilities and proposes solutions. The paper concludes by advocating for a holistic approach to securing VoIP systems, incorporating supplementary services to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of voice communications in the digital landscape. Methods: Review of the underlying theory, analysis of the end-user needs and potential solutions, practical viability assesment. Results: The theoretical points discussed were proven in practice, using commercially available resources. Communication was established in an expected manner. Conclusions: Implementing solutions similar to the one presented in the paper would be a relatively inexpensive way to make diverse improvements to the operation of tactical level units, both in peacetime and during war.

Complexities of competition regulation in Zimbabwe’s mobile money sector

This study explores the complexities of competition regulation in Zimbabwe’s mobile money sector—through an analysis of EcoCash’s market position and practices, and the regulatory steps taken in response. The study is grounded in the competition complaint made in 2014 by Zimbabwean banks against EcoCash to the Competition and Tariff Commission (CTC), wherein EcoCash was alleged to have initially refused to share its unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) infrastructure with banks; and then later to have granted access only on discriminatory terms. The research assessed the market structure and market power in the Zimbabwe mobile money sector; the regulatory challenges that these market features pose; the market power and conduct of EcoCash; and the effectiveness of the measures taken by regulators to address the competition concerns raised in relation to EcoCash. The findings indicated that, in spite of regulatory attempts to dilute its power in the market, EcoCash was, at the time of the core data collection in 2021–22, still in a dominant position in Zimbabwe’s mobile money market.

Electric vehicle charging scheduling with mobile charging stations

Mobile charging station (MCS) is a brand-new technology to electric vehicle charging, which is a supplementary service for addressing the shortcomings associated with fixed charging station (FCS), such as prolonged waiting time of charging, charging congestion of FCS, and user travel anxiety. While MCSs offer convenience to electric vehicle users, the challenge faced in the MCS operation is that MCS equipped with large batteries to provide charging services to users by visiting them one by one not only leads to high operating costs, but also prolongs the waiting time for users to utilize MCS services. To overcome the issues, a novel framework is proposed by optimizing the MCS operation in economic efficiency. In this study, a variant of mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model is developed to maximize the MCS operator's profits with considering the user's perspective, including clustering, and covering user demands, setting temporary charging location for users, dispatching MCSs for charging and discharging, and scheduling EV charging. As the scale of the problem increases, the solution time of using the proposed MILP model is inefficient. Whereas an improved genetic algorithm is developed for solving a large-scale of the proposed model. Solomon's benchmarking instance data is adopted to evaluate the performance and validity of the proposed algorithm, complemented by various sensitivity analyses aimed at providing managerial insights into MCS operations.

Pharmacist’s Knowledge, Attitude, And Practice Towards Type II Diabetes Mellitus Patient in Tabuk City, Saudi Arabia

Background: Although pharmacists have traditionally been involved in dispensing medications and providing patient counseling, there is mounting evidence that they may improve the clinical and humanistic outcomes for people with diabetes via a variety of supplementary services. The objective of the study is to determine the Knowledge, attitude and practice of pharmacist’s in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia about Type II Diabetes Mellitus. Methods: This was a cross sectional study conducted at Department of Pharmacy, King Salman Armed forces hospital, Tabuk Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A total of 110 study participants were included in the study. Data was collected with the help of a predesigned questionnaire containing closed ended questions regarding knowledge, attitude and practice of pharmacists toward type II diabetic patients care. Data entry and analysis was done with the help of SPSS version 25. Results: In this study 69.10% of the pharmacists were strongly agree/agree on their prominent role in diabetic patient care. About 77.30% pharmacists were strongly agree/agree for the fact that prescribing physicians are the only professionals who need to understand and 86.40% were strongly agree/agree that pharmacist role can improve diabetic patient care. Among pharmacists 60% were strongly agree/agree for that fact that their role can minimize the medications related complaints. Attitude and practice towards medicine dispensing and related aspect of dispensing were aligned to the standard protocols in their hospital. i.e. screening of prescription, collaboration and communication with health professional/prescriber, education of the patients, participating in workshops related to diabetic patient care and counseling of patients. Conclusion: Results of this study demonstrate that pharmacists had good knowledge, attitude and practice towards their basic dispensing role for type II diabetic patients. But they were full aware of their extended role which can be helpful for ......

Digital Personal Health Coaching Platform for Promoting Human Papillomavirus Infection Vaccinations and Cancer Prevention: Knowledge Graph-Based Recommendation System.

Health promotion can empower populations to gain more control over their well-being by using digital interventions that focus on preventing the root causes of diseases. Digital platforms for personalized health coaching can improve health literacy and information-seeking behavior, leading to better health outcomes. Personal health records have been designed to enhance patients' self-management of a disease or condition. Existing personal health records have been mostly designed and deployed as a supplementary service that acts as views into electronic health records. We aim to overcome some of the limitations of electronic health records. This study aims to design and develop a personal health library (PHL) that generates personalized recommendations for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine promotion and cancer prevention. We have designed a proof-of-concept prototype of the Digital Personal Health Librarian, which leverages machine learning; natural language processing; and several innovative technological infrastructures, including the Semantic Web, social linked data, web application programming interfaces, and hypermedia-based discovery, to generate a personal health knowledge graph. We have designed and implemented a proof-of-the-concept prototype to showcase and demonstrate how the PHL can be used to store an individual's health data, for example, a personal health knowledge graph. This is integrated with web-scale knowledge to support HPV vaccine promotion and prevent HPV-associated cancers among adolescents and their caregivers. We also demonstrated how the Digital Personal Health Librarian uses the PHL to provide evidence-based insights and knowledge-driven explanations that are personalized and inform health decision-making. Digital platforms such as the PHL can be instrumental in improving precision health promotion and education strategies that address population-specific needs (ie, health literacy, digital competency, and language barriers) and empower individuals by facilitating knowledge acquisition to make healthy choices.

Investigating the level of satisfaction of policyholders with supplementary health insurance in Iran

The importance of customer satisfaction in business prosperity is undeniable, so many organizations consider customer satisfaction as the main driver of their business growth and try to keep their customers satisfied. The business market has never been so competitive in most areas. This is the reason why things like customer experience and customer loyalty are more and more important and are considered an indicator to measure the success of the business. Based on this, in this research, we will examine the level of satisfaction of insurance policyholders with supplementary health insurance services in Iran using the SERVQUAL model. This model is one of the most common models used in the field of quality assessment in the service sector. The method of conducting this research is a descriptive survey. The sampling method in the current research is simply random the statistical population is insurance policyholders and the sample number is 686 people from the society. The findings of the current research showed that there is a negative and significant gap in all dimensions of service quality.

Digitalisation in the WFP fresh food voucher programme: a pilot study from rural Amhara region, Ethiopia.

Malnutrition continues to pose a major challenge to human well-being around the world. In Ethiopia, 39% of children <5 years are stunted, with peaks in northern regions of the country such as Amhara (54.8%). Very few (2%) children in the region achieve the minimum dietary diversity and only a minority (27%) belong to households that can afford a nutritious diet. To tackle the high stunting rate, diets high in fruits and vegetables are widely recommended to improve dietary diversity. Programmes leveraging fresh food vouchers can be used to support vulnerable groups with malnutrition and limited affordability. Cash-based transfer (CBT) programmes have repeatedly been shown to improve child growth and increase household food security and dietary diversity. This study is part of the World Food Programme (WFP) intervention regarding a stunting reduction rural programme of restricted CBT for improving dietary diversity in households with children under 2 years of age and pregnant and lactating women. A community- based pilot study to assess the itemised foods purchased by beneficiaries was conducted in the four most accessible woredas of the Amhara region of Ethiopia. A total of 556 beneficiaries and 12 active retailers were selected randomly from 10 rural markets in the targeted woredas. A point of sale (POS) system was used to collect the itemised food prices and amounts of food procured by the beneficiaries. Approximately 51, 35, and 15% of the beneficiaries purchased vegetables, fruits, and eggs, respectively. Prices, taste preferences of children, and shelf life determine the purchase of certain food items. The average food expenditure was 49 Ethiopian Birr (ETB; US$ 0.94), representing the 63 and 37% daily and monthly requirements, respectively, for affordability. The higher increase in prices of some food items might be due to their seasonality. Almost half of the Fresh Food Voucher (FFV) beneficiaries were purchasing and consuming vegetables. The finding indicates that the WFP fresh food voucher programme contributes 63% (49 ETB, US$ 0.94) and 37% (837 ETB, US$ 16.1) of the daily and monthly needs of affordability, respectively, for a diversified nutritious diet. The use of Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) technology in the WFP digital voucher under the Fresh Food Voucher (FFV) project was effective at collecting itemised prices of foods purchased by the beneficiaries. The point of sale (POS) system can be scaled up under the Fresh Food Voucher (FFV) programme so that the digital voucher can contain the itemised food prices. Timely data from the point of sale could be used for timely Social Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) development to improve dietary diversity.

An Unstructured Supplementary Service Data System to Verify HIV Self-Testing Among Nigerian Youths: Mixed Methods Analysis of Usability and Feasibility.

Mobile health (mHealth) interventions among adolescents and young adults (AYAs) are increasingly available in African low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). For example, the unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) could be used to verify HIV self-testing (HIVST) among AYAs with poor bandwidth. The aim of this study is to describe the creation of an USSD platform and determine its feasibility and usability to promote the verification of HIVST results among AYAs in Nigeria. We developed and evaluated a USSD platform to verify HIVST results using a user-centered approach. The USSD platform guided AYAs in performing HIVST, interpreting the result, and providing linkage to care after the test. Following the usability assessment, the USSD platform was piloted. We used a mixed methods study to assess the platform's usability through a process of quantitative heuristic assessment, a qualitative think-aloud method, and an exit interview. Descriptive statistics of quantitative data and inductive thematic analysis of qualitative variables were organized. A total of 19 AYAs participated in the usability test, with a median age of 19 (IQR 16-23) years. There were 11 females, 8 males, and 0 nonbinary individuals. All individuals were out-of-school AYAs. Seven of the 10 Nielsen usability heuristics assessed yielded positive results. The participants found the USSD platform easy to use, preferred the simplicity of the system, felt no need for a major improvement in the design of the platform, and were happy the system provided linkage to care following the interpretation of the HIVST results. The pilot field test of the platform enrolled 164 out-of-school AYAs, mostly young girls and women (101, 61.6%). The mean age was 17.5 (SD 3.18) years, and 92.1% (151/164) of the participants reported that they were heterosexual, while 7.9% (13/164) reported that they were gay. All the participants in the pilot study were able to conduct HIVST, interpret their results, and use the linkage to care feature of the USSD platform without any challenge. A total of 7.9% (13/164) of the AYAs had positive HIV results (reactive to the OraQuick kit). This study demonstrated the usability and feasibility of using a USSD system as an alternative to mobile phone apps to verify HIVST results among Nigerian youth without smartphone access. Therefore, the use of a USSD platform has implications for the verification of HIVST in areas with low internet bandwidth. Further pragmatic trials are needed to scale up this approach.