Acceptability of a Smartphone Application to Enhance Healthcare to Female Genital Mutilation Survivors in Liberia: A Qualitative Study

Kim Nordmann (), Guillermo Z. Martínez-Pérez, Mandella King, Thomas Küpper and Ana Belén Subirón-Valera
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Kim Nordmann: Institute of Occupational & Social Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, 52062 Aachen, Germany
Guillermo Z. Martínez-Pérez: African Women’s Research Observatory, 08009 Barcelona, Spain
Mandella King: Saint Joseph’s Catholic Hospital, Monrovia 1000, Liberia
Thomas Küpper: Institute of Occupational & Social Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, 52062 Aachen, Germany
Ana Belén Subirón-Valera: Department of Physiatrics and Nursing, University of Zaragoza, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 17, 1-13

Abstract: In Liberia, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is a legally allowed initiation ritual in the secret Sande society. Due to the secrecy, Liberian healthcare providers receive little education on FGM/C and its health consequences. As mobile learning approaches proved to efficiently increase providers’ knowledge and skills, a mobile application (‘app’) was designed to support self-learning, decision-making, and the follow-up of FGM/C survivors’ health. The ‘app’ was introduced in a capacity-building project in 2019 and evaluated through this qualitative study to assess healthcare provider’s needs and acceptance. We conducted 22 semi-structured interviews and eight focus group discussions with 42 adult healthcare providers in three Liberian counties. A thematic approach grounded in descriptive phenomenology guided data analysis and led to three main themes: the ‘app’, mobile learning and health education, and personal impression. Healthcare providers judge the ‘app’ useful to broaden their knowledge and skills, which might lead to better FGM/C detection and management. The ‘app’ might further facilitate patient and community education about the negative health consequences of FMG/C, possibly contributing to a reduction of FGM/C prevalence.

Keywords: Liberia; mHealth; female genital mutilation; knowledge acquisition; self-directed learning (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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