Abstract
This paper highlights the outcomes of a usability assessment conducted on the Mother and Child (MCH) app by SharemyHealth, a digital health platform designed to monitor and track maternal and child nutritional status. Communities affected by disasters—ranging from displacement, to health crises, to natural events—including parts of Malawi and Kenya, face chronic challenges such as overcrowding, resource shortages, and funding deficits, leading to alarmingly high rates of child malnutrition. To address this, IsraAID, an international non-profit organization, partnered with SharemyHealth to enhance the MCH app’s usability through a collaborative, user-centered design process. The goal was to enable IsraAID’s Community Health Workers (CHWs) and administrators to more effectively screen, refer, and follow up with cases of child malnutrition. Three-month pilot tests of the app were conducted in Turkana West, Kenya and Blantyre, Malawi, prior to which CHWs were trained in its use. Feedback was collected using an adapted version of the Mobile App Usability Questionnaire (MAUQ), a validated tool for evaluating app usability, including dimensions such as ease of use, interface & satisfaction, and usefulness. We discuss the assessment methodology, findings from data analysis, and performance scores, highlighting the app’s strengths and areas needing improvement. This study underscores the value of iterative, user-centered design in developing effective digital health tools and illustrates their potential for monitoring malnutrition for improving health outcomes in resource-constrained refugee settings. The study also highlights the need for collaboration between sectors in order to address urgent health challenges in the highest risk areas.
Presenters
Celina WilleExtension Associate Professor, Applied Sciences, Technology and Education, Utah State University, Utah, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Public Health Policies and Practices
KEYWORDS
REFUGEES, MALNUTRITION, DIGITAL HEALTH APP, COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS, NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION
