A survey of mobile phone use in the provision of palliative care services in the African region and priorities for future development

Introduction: Palliative care (PC) services in the African region need to adapt to manage rising numbers of patients with cancer or other life-limiting conditions. Mobile phone use in healthcare delivery (mHealth) is at an early stage of development for PC, but may provide new approaches to supporting patients regionally, particularly those with non-communicable diseases. Methods: We conducted an online survey of 51 PC providers across 21 countries in the African region to identify: (i) current mHealth use in PC service delivery; (ii) potential barriers to mHealth use; and (iii) provider priorities for research development. Results: mHealth approaches were reported across 71.4% of services in which respondents were based. Barriers to mHealth research include patients not having access to phones, mobile network access, and limited access to expertise and hardware required for mHealth. Research priorities were identified which included exploring ways of incorporating mHealth into patient care and ensuring access and relevance of mHealth for patients and health professionals. Discussion: mHealth approaches are present across PC services in the African region, but so too are barriers to their use. Further work is required to explore how existing mHealth activities might be further developed and aligned with priority areas for PC development. Crucially, user engagement that seeks to understand the preferences and priorities of patients with PC needs, their caregivers, and those involved in the provision of PC should remain central to these efforts.