Training Family Planning Providers via Mobile Phones in Urban Nigeria

Hilary Schwandt, Johns Hopkins University and Western Washington University
Jennifer Boyle, Center for Communication Programs (CCP)
Fatima Bunza, Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI)
Mike Bailey, Center for Communication Programs (CCP)

The Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Program (NURHI) aims to increase contraceptive use in four urban areas of Nigeria. Under the task of improving service delivery, NURHI has designed an innovative intervention to deliver continuing education to family planning providers via videos on smartphones. This study reports on the findings from the pilot study and will eventually include the evaluation data from the full intervention. Pilot data were collected in June 2013. Most clinical providers do not own their own smartphones but are receptive to using smartphones in the workplace. The training delivered via smartphones was well received by the clinicians. Smartphones may be a viable vehicle for engaging family planning providers in continuing education and training – the reach of training via smartphones greatly exceeds the reach of in-person training events and may prove to be more effective in reducing service provision biases.