Mobile phone communication and health system strengthening: a pilot study of telephonic warmline consultation in HIV care and support in South India.

Abstract

Introduction: I-TECH India established a warmline pilot in the year 2008 to provide mobile-based technical support on clinical management to doctors caring for HIV patients in antiretroviral therapy (ART) centers.

Methods: Warmline was piloted from May to August 2008. Standardized call records were analyzed. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS.

Results: The service was used by 38 doctors. The study demonstrated the frequency of calls and the nature of questions raised by them. Of the calls, 139 were new calls (90.3%) and 15 were follow-up calls. The average number of calls per day was 2.6 (SD 1.6). Of the total number, 81% of the calls were from high-volume centers. Most of the calls were related to ARV toxicities, ART initiation, and the management of opportunistic infections (OI).

Conclusion: The South Indian warmline pilot demonstrated a potential model of ongoing technical assistance to ART doctors in times of need. AIDS-control organizations may consider expanding this model of expert distance-mentoring clinical support as a resource in India and other countries.