Mobile Technologies for Palliative Cancer Care in Uganda: Qualitative Secondary Analysis of Health Professional Perspectives

Introduction

In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) cancer care is characterised by limited funding, restricted access to curative therapies and 80% of cancers are advanced at the time of detection and diagnosis. Palliative care need in SSA is significant, however, most countries in the region have limited provision. mHealth (i.e. medical and public health practice supported by mobile devices) is an approach that may support increased access and communication with palliative care services. However, there is a limited understanding of health professionals’ views and perceptions on its use in the delivery of cancer care.

Methods

We sought to understand health professionals’ views and perceptions of the use of mHealth as part of palliative care delivery. Transcripts from interviews of health professionals in Uganda (n = 20) were analysed thematically.

Results

The majority of participants were female (75%, n = 15). Average duration of experience was 15.8 years as healthcare providers and 8.2 years as palliative care providers. Four overarching themes were derived from the analysis: (i) current use of mHealth in palliative cancer care provision; (ii) advantages of using mHealth in palliative cancer care; (iii) challenges to providing palliative cancer care using mHealth, and; (iv) preferences for mHealth use in palliative cancer care.

Conclusions

mHealth is considered advantageous for the provision of palliative cancer care. There is a need to adapt training to improve competencies of palliative care professionals in delivery of care that leverages digital technologies. Development of mHealth initiatives needs to consider how best to maintain patient privacy and ensure inequities in access to care are not worsened.