Promoting access equity and improving health care for women, children and people living with HIV/AIDS in Burkina Faso through mHealth

BACKGROUND: In Burkina Faso, access to health services for women, children and people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs) remains limited. Mobile telephony offers an alternative solution for reaching these individuals. The objective of the study was to improve equity of access to health care and information among women and PLWHAs by reinforcing community participation. METHODS: Using a quasi-experimental approach, a mobile telephone system was set up at five health centres to provide an automated reminder service for health care consultation appointments. Performance evaluations based on key performance indicators were subsequently conducted. RESULTS: A total of 1501 pregnant women and 301 PLWHAs were registered and received appointment reminders. A 7.34% increase in prenatal coverage, an 84% decrease in loss to follow-up for HIV (P < 0.001) and a 31% increase in assisted deliveries in 2016 (P < 0.0001) were observed in intervention areas. However, there was no statistically significant difference between intervention site and control site (P= 0.451 > 0.05) at post-intervention. Efforts to involve community members in decision-making processes contributed to improved health system governance. CONCLUSION: Mhealth may improve maternal and child health and the health of PLWHAs. However, establishment of a mHealth system requires taking into account community dynamics and potential technological challenges. KEYWORDS: access to care, Burkina Faso, equity, health system governance, mobile telephony, Nouna