Technologies’ contribution to the engagement of citizens in strengthening health system governance in Burkina Faso: an action research protocol (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Health systems are complex systems involving a vast range of actors. In West Africa they are often not very accessible or responsive. Burkina Faso has widely expressed, in its public health policy, the need to improve both access to quality care and health system responsiveness. There is also a strong wish to give more voice to citizens. To support Burkinabe institutions in achieving these goals, we have developed an action research (AR) protocol. OBJECTIVE This paper presents the protocol which will address citizens’ participation in health policies and their empowerment through the expression of opinions, for accountability, as well as the strengthening of the health system using information and communication technologies (ICTs). METHODS Our approach will consist of: 1) enabling people to express their opinions on the health system by means of a toll-free service coupled with an interactive voice server (TF-IVS); 2) building an information base with anonymous and reliable data; and 3) conducting information awareness-raising activities, including knowledge transfer (KT) and advocacy, social integration activities, and development of OpenData platforms, and the capitalization and media coverage of governance issues. For this purpose, the AR project will be implemented in Burkina Faso. The design uses a concurrent mixed-methods approach. This AR project will evaluate the acceptability, process, effectiveness, and economic costs of the system’s implementation. We will also analyze the potential for the data collected by the device to be used to improve practices. RESULTS Data collection is in progress; the toll-free number was officially launched on 1 July 2020 and data collection is planned to continue throughout 2021. By using mixed methods research, our action research will be approached from a variety of perspectives. Mixed methods will support us in combining the partial insights on sophisticated realities from qualitative inquiries with the data analyses produced by quantitative research. CONCLUSIONS This AR is expected to add knowledge on how to increase the empowerment of the population, especially the most vulnerable, to participate in democratic processes and enjoy and exercise their human rights. This protocol recommends implementing a low-cost, contextually adapted technology, associated with an evidence-based approach and carried out on a significant scale. The originality of this approach lies in the fact that it introduces a real AR dimension with local communities and Non-governmental Agencies (NGOs) combined with an integrated strategy of knowledge transfer and application throughout the project for all stakeholders. CLINICALTRIAL Ethical approval registration number: 23–2019/CEIRES. Registered September 24, 2019.

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