[Factors associated with the acceptability of mobile digital payments among health workers in the Koumpentoum Health District Senegal in 2023].

Abstract

Introduction: digitising health worker payments could improve their well-being, that of users of health service points and the performance of the health system. The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with the acceptability of mobile payments among health workers in the Koumpentoum health district.

Methods: we conducted a cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study in the Koumpentoum health district, in eastern Senegal, in January 2023. Recruitment was exhaustive, involving all health staff and community stakeholders. A questionnaire was developed and administered remotely via phone calls. It was used to gather information on socio-professional characteristics, knowledge, attitudes, practices and the acceptability of mobile payments by healthcare workers. Binomial logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with the acceptability of mobile payments by health workers.

Results: a total of 418 health workers were surveyed, 87.3% of whom were community actors. All respondents said that digital payments in their context were represented by transfers via mobile applications, and 86.6% were in favor of its use in the healthcare sector. The majority of them (91.5%) would accept being paid through this method. Reasons for adoption included positive perceptions of convenience, speed and security, while reasons for non-adoption were lack of network access, errors and transfer fees. Factors favoring the acceptability of mobile healthcare payments included less than 5 years of professional experience (ORa= 7.91 [2.65-34.38]; p= 0.001), a satisfactory experience with mobile digital payments (ORa= 4.18 [1.3-18.92]; p= 0.031), acceptability of mobile payments in daily life (ORa= 5.81 [1.37-23.29]; p= 0.013) and performance expectations (ORa= 7.3 [3.42-16.05]; p < 0.001).

Conclusion: this study conducted in the Koumpentoum health district indicated a high level of acceptance of mobile payments among health workers. Despite this, potential challenges such as lack of network access and transfer fees were noted. While the integration of mobile payments in the health sector in Koumpentoum appears promising, measures are needed to overcome these identified obstacles.