The use of smartphone among health volunteers in Nongbuarawae, Chaiyaphum

Abstract

Objective: To study health volunteer's attitudes and skills of using smartphones in their work including
problems, obstacles and relevant factors.

Methods: Quantitative data were collected from 104 health volunteers in Nong Bua Ra wae sub-district,
analyzed by descriptive statistics to find relationship of various factors on health volunteers attitudes and skills of
using smartphones. Qualitative data were collected by in-depth interviews with semi-structured questionnaires
from 6 health volunteers and 5 staffs who involved. All data were summarized and analyzed together to know
the attitudes, potential and limitations to the use of smartphones in the work of health volunteers.

Results: Health volunteers have access to a smartphone up to 86.5 percent and 73.1 percent of them use
the Internet themselves. The younger volunteers were statistically significantly more skilled in using
smartphones than the older volunteers (p=0.000). Volunteers of all ages are of the opinion that the use of
smartphones in the health care work is necessary and useful especially in the field of communication. Factors
promoting the use of smartphones in health volunteers are the situation of COVID-19, more people in the
community use smartphones, the need to contact relatives who live in other provinces. The problems and
obstacles included personal factors (unused, no instructor) and equipment and internet problems.

Conclusion: Volunteers have different skills in using smartphones according to their age and they have a
good attitude towards using smartphones for work. The development towards the use of smartphones in the work
of health volunteers should be supported in 3 areas: 1. Skills Training 2. Policy to encourage health volunteers to
use smartphones in their work 3. Government support especially the cost of internet.