Using mobile transport vouchers to improve access to skilled delivery

  • Rural and Remote Health, Volume 19, No. 1, Year 2019

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Study Justification:
– Maternal death rates are high in low-income countries.
– Skilled birth attendants are crucial for preventing maternal deaths.
– This study aims to determine if mobile transport vouchers can increase the number of pregnant women choosing to deliver at a health facility.
Highlights:
– 86 expectant mothers in Samburu County, Kenya, participated in the study.
– Mixed methods research design was used to collect quantitative and qualitative data.
– Results showed that the mobile transport voucher significantly increased access to healthcare facilities for skilled delivery.
– Challenges included illiteracy and resource scarcity.
– Conclusion: Mobile technology can effectively improve access to healthcare in remote rural settings.
Recommendations:
– Implement mobile transport voucher programs in other low-income countries to improve access to skilled delivery.
– Address illiteracy and resource scarcity challenges through targeted interventions.
– Train and support community health volunteers and ambulance drivers to effectively utilize mobile technology.
Key Role Players:
– Government health departments
– Non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
– Mobile network operators
– Community health volunteers
– Ambulance drivers
Cost Items for Planning Recommendations:
– Development and implementation of mobile transport voucher program
– Training and capacity building for community health volunteers and ambulance drivers
– Communication and outreach campaigns to raise awareness about the program
– Monitoring and evaluation of the program’s effectiveness
– Technical support and maintenance of mobile technology infrastructure

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Introduction: Reducing maternal death remains a challenge in many low-income countries. Preventing maternal deaths depends significantly on the presence of a skilled birth attendant at child delivery. The main objective of this study was to find out whether use of mobile transport vouchers would result in an increased number of pregnant women choosing to deliver at a health facility rather than at home. Method: A total of 86 expectant mothers living in Samburu County (Kenya), all having access to a mobile phone with Safaricom mobile SIM card, were enrolled into the project. Mixed methods research design was used to generate quantitative data on the voucher transactions and qualitative data from telephone interviews on technical usability of the transport voucher. Results: The study demonstrated that the mobile transport voucher was a major driver for pregnant women to access healthcare facilities for skilled delivery. Illiteracy and resource scarcity were the main challenges experienced during implementation. Conclusion: Mobile technology can be successfully used in remote rural settings in Africa for targeting funds and guiding individuals towards better health care. The combination of such technology with communication agents (community health volunteers, ambulance drivers) proved particularly effective.

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Title: Using Mobile Transport Vouchers to Improve Access to Skilled Delivery
Description: This study aimed to determine whether the use of mobile transport vouchers could increase the number of pregnant women choosing to deliver at a healthcare facility rather than at home. The study enrolled 86 expectant mothers in Samburu County, Kenya, who had access to a mobile phone with a Safaricom mobile SIM card. A mixed methods research design was used to collect quantitative data on voucher transactions and qualitative data from telephone interviews on the usability of the transport voucher. The results showed that the use of mobile transport vouchers significantly increased the number of pregnant women accessing healthcare facilities for skilled delivery. Challenges during implementation included illiteracy and resource scarcity. The study concluded that mobile technology can effectively target funds and guide individuals towards better healthcare in remote rural settings in Africa, especially when combined with communication agents such as community health volunteers and ambulance drivers. This recommendation, based on the study published in Rural and Remote Health in 2019, suggests that implementing mobile transport vouchers can be an innovative solution to improve access to skilled delivery and reduce maternal deaths in low-income countries.
AI Innovations Description
The recommendation to improve access to maternal health is to use mobile transport vouchers. This innovation involves providing expectant mothers with mobile vouchers that can be used to access transportation to healthcare facilities for skilled delivery.

A study conducted in Samburu County, Kenya, enrolled 86 expectant mothers who had access to a mobile phone with a Safaricom mobile SIM card. The study used a mixed methods research design to collect quantitative data on voucher transactions and qualitative data from telephone interviews on the technical usability of the transport voucher.

The results of the study showed that the use of mobile transport vouchers significantly increased the number of pregnant women choosing to deliver at a health facility rather than at home. The study also identified illiteracy and resource scarcity as the main challenges during implementation.

The conclusion drawn from the study is that mobile technology can be successfully used in remote rural settings in Africa to target funds and guide individuals towards better healthcare. The combination of mobile technology with communication agents such as community health volunteers and ambulance drivers proved to be particularly effective.

This recommendation, based on the study published in Rural and Remote Health in 2019, suggests that implementing mobile transport vouchers can be an innovative solution to improve access to skilled delivery and reduce maternal deaths in low-income countries.
AI Innovations Methodology
To simulate the impact of using mobile transport vouchers to improve access to skilled delivery, a methodology could involve the following steps:

1. Selection of study area: Choose a rural region in a low-income country where access to skilled delivery is limited and mobile phone usage is prevalent.

2. Sample selection: Identify a sample of expectant mothers who have access to mobile phones with SIM cards from a specific mobile network provider.

3. Intervention implementation: Provide the selected expectant mothers with mobile transport vouchers that can be used to access transportation to healthcare facilities for skilled delivery.

4. Data collection: Use a mixed methods research design to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data can be collected by tracking voucher transactions, including the number of vouchers used and the number of pregnant women choosing to deliver at a health facility. Qualitative data can be collected through telephone interviews to assess the technical usability of the transport voucher.

5. Analysis: Analyze the quantitative data to determine the impact of the mobile transport vouchers on the number of pregnant women choosing to deliver at a health facility. Assess the qualitative data to identify any challenges or barriers encountered during implementation.

6. Conclusion: Based on the analysis of the data, draw conclusions regarding the effectiveness of using mobile transport vouchers to improve access to skilled delivery. Consider factors such as increased utilization of healthcare facilities, reduction in home deliveries, and any challenges faced during implementation.

7. Publication: Share the findings of the study in a reputable journal or publication, such as Rural and Remote Health, to contribute to the existing body of knowledge on improving access to maternal health.

By following this methodology, researchers can simulate the impact of using mobile transport vouchers and provide evidence-based recommendations for improving access to skilled delivery in low-income countries.


Statistics:
Citations: 6
Identifiers:
DOI: 10.22605/RRH4577
ISSN: 14456354
Research Areas:
Community Interventions, Health System and Policy, Maternal Access, Maternal and Child Health, Social Determinants, Technology and Innovations
Study Countries:
Kenya
Study Approach:
Mixed-methods, Qualitative, Quantitative
Participants Gender:
Female
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