WhatsApp and Internet Protocol messaging in healthcare : a transformative opportunity

Abstract

Mobile messaging platforms (MMP) are increasingly the de facto vehicle for communication in low resource environments. The statistics are striking. Dramatic reductions in the cost of smartphone devices as well as data, mean that an estimated 44% of Africans had access to a smartphone in 2019.1 This is anticipated to grow to 65% by 2025.1 Access among healthcare workers is even higher, with 97% of the researchers approached through the African Perioperative Research Group (APORG) reported having smartphone access (unpublished data).