Tracking health commodity inventory and notifying stock levels via mobile devices: a mixed methods systematic review

Agarwal, Smisha; Glenton, Claire; Tamrat, Tigest; Fønhus, Marita Sporstøl; Mehl, Garrett; Lewin, Simon

doi:10.1002/14651858.cd012907.pub2

Cited by 19 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Lack of internet access being the main infrastructural barrier in our study is plausible for a software relying heavily on web-based data transfer. It is also discussed in most of the literature on DHI implementations in LMICs [ 11 , 18 , 23 , 50 , 53 , 56 , 62 - 64 ]. Our findings further highlight the need for reliable internet infrastructure as a key facilitator of successful DHI scale-up.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors Affecting the Successful Implementation of a Digital Intervention for Health Financing in a Low-Resource Setting at Scale: Semistructured Interview Study With Health Care Workers and Management Staff

Schuetze¹,

Srivastava²,

Missenye³

et al. 2023

J Med Internet Res

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Background Digital interventions for health financing, if implemented at scale, have the potential to improve health system performance by reducing transaction costs and improving data-driven decision-making. However, many interventions never reach sustainability, and evidence on success factors for scale is scarce. The Insurance Management Information System (IMIS) is a digital intervention for health financing, designed to manage an insurance scheme and already implemented on a national scale in Tanzania. A previous study found that the IMIS claim function was poorly adopted by health care workers (HCWs), questioning its potential to enable strategic purchasing and succeed at scale. Objective This study aimed to understand why the adoption of the IMIS claim function by HCWs remained low in Tanzania and to assess implications for use at scale. Methods We conducted 21 semistructured interviews with HCWs and management staff in 4 districts where IMIS was first implemented. We sampled respondents by using a maximum variation strategy. We used the framework method for data analysis, applying a combination of inductive and deductive coding to organize codes in a socioecological model. Finally, we related emerging themes to a framework for digital health interventions for scale. Results Respondents appreciated IMIS’s intrinsic software characteristics and technical factors and acknowledged IMIS as a valuable tool to simplify claim management. Human factors, extrinsic ecosystem, and health care ecosystem were considered as barriers to widespread adoption. Conclusions Digital interventions for health financing, such as IMIS, may have the potential for scale if careful consideration is given to the environment in which they are placed. Without a sustainable health financing environment, sufficient infrastructure, and human capacity, they cannot unfold their full potential to improve health financing functions and ultimately contribute to universal health coverage.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors Affecting the Successful Implementation of a Digital Intervention for Health Financing in a Low-Resource Setting at Scale: Semistructured Interview Study With Health Care Workers and Management Staff

Schuetze¹,

Srivastava²,

Missenye³

et al. 2023

J Med Internet Res

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“…These sections have been shown to be important sources of information when developing implementation considerations for WHO guideline recommendations, and we have recently described the use of qualitative evidence syntheses for this purpose in more detail (Glenton et al, 2019). In addition, authors of intervention effectiveness reviews linked to the topic of the qualitative evidence synthesis could also use this information in their own Implications for practice section, and this is already being done in our mixed methods reviews, which include both effectiveness and qualitative studies (Agarwal et al, 2020; Vasudevan et al, 2021). Further exploration is needed of how different stakeholders in different contexts use these prompts, including the extent to which they are able to bring them together with local experience and evidence to inform decisions, and whether applicability checklists may be useful in this process (Booth et al, 2019; Lewin et al, 2009).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care (EPOC) Qualitative Evidence Syntheses, Differences From Reviews of Intervention Effectiveness and Implications for Guidance

Glenton

Lewin

Downe

et al. 2022

International Journal of Qualitative Methods

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Systematic reviews of qualitative research (‘qualitative evidence syntheses’) are increasingly popular and represent a potentially important source of information about people’s views, needs and experiences. Since 2013, Cochrane has published qualitative evidence syntheses, and the Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care group has been involved in the majority of these reviews. But more guidance is needed on how to prepare these reviews in an environment that is more familiar with reviews of quantitative research. In this paper, we describe and reflect on how Cochrane qualitative evidence syntheses differ from reviews of intervention effectiveness and how these differences have influenced the guidance developed by the EPOC group. In particular, we discuss how it has been important to display to end users, firstly, that qualitative evidence syntheses are carried out with rigour and transparency, and secondly, that these quality standards need to reflect qualitative research traditions. We also discuss lessons that reviews of effectiveness might learn from qualitative research.

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“…There are growing efforts to include unconventional source materials in evidence syntheses, including reviews addressing questions such as the acceptability and feasibility of interventions and programmes, their equity and human rights impacts, and factors affecting their implementation. The syntheses conducted for a recent WHO guideline on digital interventions for health systems strengthening provide one example of this [32,33,35]. These syntheses drew on information from programme development and implementation descriptions, feasibility and usability evaluations, programmatic observations and news articles to describe the range of strategies used to implement interventions considered in the guideline and to identify factors affecting implementation.…”

Section: Using the Ace Tool In Evidence Synthesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing unConventional Evidence (ACE) tool: development and content of a tool to assess the strengths and limitations of ‘unconventional’ source materials

Lewin

Langlois

Tunçalp

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Background When deciding whether to implement an intervention, decision makers typically have questions on feasibility and acceptability and on factors affecting implementation. Descriptions of programme implementation and of policies and systems are rich sources of information for these questions. However, this information is often not based on empirical data collected using explicit methods. To use the information in unconventional source materials in syntheses or other decision support products, we need methods of assessing their strengths and limitations. This paper describes the development and content of the Assessing unConventional Evidence (ACE) tool, a new tool to assess the strengths and limitations of these sources. Methods We developed the ACE tool in four stages: first, we examined existing tools to identify potentially relevant assessment criteria. Second, we drew on these criteria and team discussions to create a first draft of the tool. Third, we obtained feedback on the draft from potential users and methodologists, and through piloting the tool in evidence syntheses. Finally, we used this feedback to iteratively refine the assessment criteria and to improve our guidance for undertaking the assessment. Results The tool comprises 11 criteria including the purpose and context of the source; the completeness of the information presented; and the extent to which evidence is provided to support the findings made. Users are asked to indicate whether each of the criteria have been addressed. Based on their judgements for each criterion, users then make an overall assessment of the limitations of the source, ranging from no or very minor concerns to serious concerns. These assessments can then facilitate appropriate use of the evidence in decision support products. Conclusions Through focusing on unconventional source materials, the ACE tool fills an important gap in the range of tools for assessing the strengths and limitations of policy-relevant evidence and supporting evidence-informed decision-making.

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Tracking health commodity inventory and notifying stock levels via mobile devices: a mixed methods systematic review

Abstract: Tracking health commodity inventory and notifying stock levels via mobile devices: a mixed methods systematic review.

Cited by 19 publications

References 44 publications

Factors Affecting the Successful Implementation of a Digital Intervention for Health Financing in a Low-Resource Setting at Scale: Semistructured Interview Study With Health Care Workers and Management Staff

Factors Affecting the Successful Implementation of a Digital Intervention for Health Financing in a Low-Resource Setting at Scale: Semistructured Interview Study With Health Care Workers and Management Staff

Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care (EPOC) Qualitative Evidence Syntheses, Differences From Reviews of Intervention Effectiveness and Implications for Guidance

Assessing unConventional Evidence (ACE) tool: development and content of a tool to assess the strengths and limitations of ‘unconventional’ source materials

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