Overview
Despite increasing options for public and private health care providers in Laos, choosing a high-quality health provider or a facility is difficult because timely and reliable information about providers is not readily available. People rely on social networks or previous experiences to select providers. However, in Laos, only 28% describe their recent visit to a health care provider as high-quality suggesting that while there are increasing options for care, people may need support to find providers that meet their quality needs. Rapid adoption of mobile phones in Laos, particularly in urban areas, offer opportunities to enhance people's access to timely quality information about health care providers. The study team will use mobile phones to collect and disseminate quality information about providers - known to be valued by Laotians - to improve their access to quality care as well as their overall satisfaction with care.
Description
While access to health care is expanding globally, there is appreciable variation in the quality of care among providers with low-quality care accounting for up-to 5 million deaths each year. These numbers are expected to grow as more people seek care and as the burden of disease shifts to complex conditions.
Expanding access has also resulted in increasing options for public and private health care providers. Selecting a health provider or a facility, however, is difficult because timely and reliable information about providers is not readily available. People often rely on social networks or previous experiences to select providers. However, in Lao PDR, only 28% describe their recent visit to a health care provider as high-quality, suggesting that while there are increasing options for care, people may need support to find providers that meet their quality needs.
In order to inform efforts to improve people's access to high-quality care, there is a need for evidence on mechanisms to empower people to identify and use high-quality care. In LMICs, majority of efforts to date has focused on supply-side efforts. While there are new initiatives to study population perspectives and people's care experiences, measures to "ignite demand" for high-quality care are not well understood.
The investigators plan to conduct a randomized-controlled experiment using mobile-phones to study whether routinely collected information on quality of care received by peers can improve access to high-quality care and patient satisfaction. The investigators plan to study whether participants switched providers based on the information provided and the type of information mothers used to switch providers. Additionally, The investigators plan to study whether information about providers led women to be more satisfied with health care services for their child or children. Study participants will include mothers living in an urban setting with less than 2-year old children and already enrolled in an on-going VITERBI cohort in Vientiane, the capital city.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria:
- All women 18 years of age and older and enrolled in Vientiane Multigenerational Birth Cohort (VITERBI) with at least one child less than two years old, able to read, have exclusive access to a mobile phone, have a WhatsApp account, understand and sign the ICF will be eligible to participate in the study. The eligibility criteria will be assessed using data collected from VITERBI. Ability to read will be tested using a script in Lao, "I use my mobile phone every day."
Exclusion Criteria:
- Eligible women unwilling to sign informed consent, without exclusive access to a mobile phone, unable to read the test script, or unable operate a mobile phone will be excluded from the study.