Planning and positioning mHealth interventions in developing countries

Objective: The objective of this paper is to develop a framework for the planning and positioning of mHealth interventions in developing countries. Method: The description of the framework uses an illustrative case from Enugu State, Nigeria. Planning and positioning for this case involved a number of interventions including workshops, training sessions, and other attempts to socialise mHealth tools and canvass for local and regional support. Results: The planning and positioning differentiates between interventions at two levels. First, we differentiate between interventions targeting traits and states, the latter being situation-specific. Second, we differentiate between individual and social interventions, the latter being resilient to personnel change. This creates a simple 2 × 2 matrix to lay out the portfolio of interventions in an mHealth project. Conclusion: The framework offers support to governments, decision makers, and developers as they design an assemblage of mHealth interventions. This added clarity means the framework also helps to analyse ‘as is’ structures and behaviours. The framework further provides support for reflecting on projects, as interdependent goals in different quadrants can be assessed against specific interventions.