DIGITAL TOOLS TO IMPROVE CONSUMER HEALTH

The digital revolution and rapid advancements in technology are changing the everyday lives of people. Developing countries like Ethiopia are making changes in policy and regulation to stimulate the rapid expansion of digitization. One example of this is the opening of the telecom sector to private organizations like Safaricom.

The Ethiopian Information Communication Technology (ICT) policy stipulates that the digitization of health services is one of the strategic areas of focus in the ten-year road map towards digitization. This policy seeks to advance the effectiveness of the national health policy and strategy by using digital tools to share health information and services directly with consumers. Consumers are rapidly adapting digital tools and are now more sophisticated in how they consume and interact with information. In addition to consumers, health professionals are also using digital tools and platforms to keep themselves updated on the latest health developments and best practices and to improve the quality of health services. To encourage digitization in the health care space, the Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) is making bold moves by developing a national Digital Health Strategy focused on providing digital tools for health workers, administrators, and patients in alignment with the Ethiopian Health Sector Transformation Plan II (HSTP-2).

At PSI, we are prioritizing digital health care to provide better services to our consumers. The expansion of access to smartphones coupled with increased connectivity has presented an opportunity to make healthcare more accessible by changing the way we engage with consumers. The COVID-19 pandemic has seriously strained already fragile healthcare systems and limitations in physical movement and social interaction have further accelerated the need for digital health solutions targeted at both consumers and the health workforce.

Taking these factors into consideration, PSI-E is using Human-Centred Design (HCD) approach to provide multiple digital health solutions to our consumers and health care professionals.

Using the funding from Global Affair Canada (GAC), we are applying the HCD approach to digitize our “Smart Start” counseling tool to help Government Health Extension Workers (HEWs) and Smart Start Navigators (SSNs) connect with adolescent girls, young women (AGYW) and couples to deliver relevant, accurate, and engaging family planning information and services.

Consumers are rapidly adapting digital tools and are now more sophisticated in how they consume and interact with information.

WHAT IS SMART START?

“Smart Start” is a counseling tool for married adolescent rural girls’ and their husbands’. It helps them achieve their family’s financial goals by positioning contraception as a tool to achieve their self-defined goals for their families and lives.

The insight and learning session took place in Oromia and SNNP regions. Throughout this process, we engaged with key stakeholders — smart start navigators, health workers, and AGYW/couples — to gather insights and identify key pain points (myths about contraceptive methods, the need for consistent messaging and information, etc).

SOME OF THE LEARNINGS ARE:

• The Smart Start counseling session can be simultaneously very exciting and overwhelming. It can sometimes feel unattainable because of their family’s low income.

• How the HEW delivers Smart Start counseling can vary and is not always a 2-way discussion. Sometimes, the HEW won’t ask questions because she thinks she already has all the info/knowledge she needs about the AGYW/couples.
• Many AGYW and their husbands fear certain contraceptive methods and their side effects and are not always confident and comfortable even after choosing a method.
• AGYW/Couples require substantial focus on side effects and side effect management and are overwhelmed by the current counseling approach They desire a recommendation and/or decision-making support.
• The quality of contraceptive counseling is limited. HEWs are motivated to push certain methods, which impact the way they counsel and the methods they recommend, and, in some cases, inhibits informed choice.
• AGYW and couples have very low levels of digital literacy. Most have limited experience of using phones, though few have used phones and have exposure to social media.
• While limited, HEW/SSN digital literacy exists. Most HEWs/SSNs were able to learn how to use the tool after initial demonstrations. While SSNs tend to have higher levels of digital literacy, most HEWs have used tablets via the eCHIS system.
• Digital counseling tools appeared to be highly desirable and exciting to all users. Most HEWs said it would help them be more effective in their work.
• Power and connectivity continue to be a consistent challenge for digital tools uptake for most HEWs and SSNs.

Based on these learnings, we identified a mobile-based innovation to unlock the opportunities for Smart Start to deliver a user-friendly and effective counseling session. Some of the design opportunities are:

1. A Smart Start digital tool with a lot of visual and audio aids for users with limited digital literacy.
2. A flexible and adaptive Smart Start digital tool that encourages dialogue and serves the varied needs of AGYW/couples.
3. An interactive method counseling tool that delivers accurate and comprehensive information.
4. A tailored method counseling tool that encourages informed method decisions.
5. A digital tool with the right balance of guidance and flexibility that makes the SSN/HEW’s job easier, faster, and more high-quality.

Using the learnings and design opportunities, we are working with a wide range of experts that includes HCD consultants, creative designers, graphic designers, animators, and creative agencies to build suitable digital solutions for Smart Start.

we identified a mobile-based innovation to unlock the opportunities for Smart Start to deliver a user-friendly and effective counseling session.