Factors affecting the adoption of momConnect mobile application for pregnant women at the Retreat Community Health Centre

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Date

2021

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Publisher

University of the Western Cape

Abstract

The core purpose of this study was to examine the factors affecting the adoption of momConnect mobile application for pregnant women, at the Retreat Community Health Centre (RCHC) in Cape Town South Africa. The specific objectives of the study were to identify the factors affecting the use of momConnect intervention at the RCHC and to understand the perceptions of pregnant women towards momConnect intervention. Also, the study sought to identify the barriers of momConnect use by pregnant women at the RCHC and to provide recommendations on the effective use of momConnect intervention for pregnant women. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Technology Readiness Model (TRM) guided the study, which were the anchor theories in the study. Based on the interpretivism paradigm, the study followed a qualitative research approach as the case study research design as the research methodology of the study. Data was further collected using interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) from users of momConnect who are ten pregnant mothers as well as six nurses at the RCHC. Through a thematic analysis, the findings of the study revealed that there is a general understanding that the momConnect mobile application has benefits as evidenced by the generated themes arising from the participants or pregnant women’s perceptions of their interactions with the mobile application. Seven main themes emerge from the qualitative study on the factors affecting adoption of mobile health (mHealth) applications which are, (i) people’s traits; (ii) technological attributes; (iii) social influence; (iv) trust; (v) relevance; (vi) organisational support and (vii) organisational practices. The study recommended that there must be an effective collaboration between the nurses and pregnant woman to ensure successful adoption of momConnect mobile application at the RCHC. In addition, the management at the RCHC must put in place, a momConnect strategy and policies which will enforce the nurses to be more involved in the roll-out of the mobile application. Furthermore, the mobile application’s content can be improved to reduce the frustrations pregnant women user expreinces.

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Keywords

Mobile health (mHealth), Health Information Systems (HIS), Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Technology Readiness (TR), momConnect, Diffusion

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