Sherwin I. DeSouza|M. R. Rashmi|Agalya P. Vasanthi|Suchitha Maria Joseph|Rashmi Rodrigues
Mobile Phones: The Next Step towards Healthcare Delivery in Rural India?
St. John's National Academy of Health Sciences|St. John's National Academy of Health Sciences|Saveetha University|St. John's National Academy of Health Sciences|St. John's National Academy of Health Sciences|St. John's National Academy of Health Sciences
given ubiquity mobile phones use support healthcare indian context inevitable however necessary assess enduser perceptions regarding mobile health interventions especially rural indian context prior use healthcare would contextualize use mobile phone communication health 70 countrys population resides rural indiato explore acceptability delivering healthcare interventions mobile phones among users village rural bangalorethis exploratory study 488 mobile phone users residing village near bangalore city karnataka south india pretested translated intervieweradministered questionnaire used obtain data mobile phone usage patterns acceptability mobile phone tool healthrelated communication data described using basic statistical measuresthe primary use mobile phones make receive phone calls 100 text messaging sms used 70 14 respondents respondents 484 99 willing receive healthrelated information mobile phones consider receiving information intrusion personal life receiving reminders drug adherence acceptable 479 98 respondents 424 89 preferred voice calls alone forms communication nearly willing use mobile phones communicate health personnel emergencies 367 75 willing consult doctor via phone acute illness factors sex english literacy employment status presence chronic disease affected preferences regarding mode content communicationthe mobile phone tool receiving health information supporting healthcare mhealth interventions acceptable rural indian context