Depicting the healthcare landscape around a community for a m-health Intervention: a look into maternal health in KaTembe, Mozambique

Abstract

This work-in-progress is part of a larger project that aims at developing methods for information systems developers to support local communities in Africa to develop their life situations in the way they decide. The focus is on maternal and newborn health – how can the maternal and newborn healthcare services available to communities be improved by means of appropriate information and communication processes, particularly using mobile phone technology and computerbased information systems. To that end, information technology (IT) analysts and developers must first learn about the communities in question and the setting around them. The purpose of this study is to test and further develop an existing method for analysing the “healthcare landscape” around a given geographic community. The results of the analysis should be useful as a basis for the community, their healthcare providers, local authorities, and IT analysts to identify relevant stakeholders for a collaborative needs analysis and solutions development project. The main focus is on maternal health and mobile technology but within a holistic view.