Overview of e-Health initiatives in Rajasthan: An exploratory study

BACKGROUND: Government of Rajasthan has undertaken a series of e-Health initiatives, especially under various programs of National Health Mission in the past few years. There is a paucity of studies which document and provide appraisal of these initiatives in Rajasthan. AIM: To document ongoing e-Health Initiatives based on technologies and approaches used, coverage by the region and population, services provided and scope. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Primary data collection in form of key-informant interviews while secondary data collection in form of internet-based search of peer and non-peer reviewed literature was conducted to achieve the study objectives. Appropriate documents, records, and reports were reviewed to ensure that all necessary information was obtained. RESULTS: A total of 13 e-Health initiatives were included in the study. The e-Health programs were classified with the use of WHO's classification of Digital Health Interventions v1.0. Most of the initiatives perceived in the study were found to be beneficial to the community, covering the entire population targeted. Supporting agencies, technologies used, and challenges faced during the implementation were identified and documented. Lack of trained manpower, technical and software glitches and deficiency of awareness activities were few obstacles that were found consistent across all user groups. CONCLUSIONS: The overview from this study augmented the knowledge about further scopes and sustainability of these initiatives. Deploying dedicated professionals may improve the functioning of these initiatives. Since e-Health interventions significantly influence healthcare systems, further scale-up of such studies with appropriate evaluation should be planned to guide policy decisions.