Secure Digital (SD) Cards: Digitizing Content to Lighten the Load for Frontline Workers

Summary:

The USAID-funded Ujjiban project in Bangladesh works closely with frontline health, nutrition, and family planning workers to remove barriers that affect their job performance. The use of Secure Digital (SD) cards to store content such as job aids/tools/patient materials, for easy access via mobile phone during interpersonal counseling sessions, has greatly reduced the physical demands placed on frontline workers who traditionally have had to hand-carry heavy items such as flipcharts and projectors. An SD card is small, inexpensive flash card with high-capacity memory that can be used in many small portable devices such as mobile phones, tablets, laptops and computers. Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs (CCP) conducted consultations and in-depth interviews with frontline workers to understand their need for a less physically demanding work environment. Frontline workers expressed a strong preference for storing audio-visuals on their mobile phones. However, the limited memory capacity of mobile phones posed a challenge. We piloted the use of SD cards to store audio-visual materials, training tools, and counseling tools and embedded the cards in the phones of frontline workers. SD cards enables us to distribute audio-visual materials to frontline workers irrespective of nature and configuration of their cell phones. The response was very positive from the frontline workers. They are grateful to not have to carry extra devices or to worry about electricity. Instead, their phones become an effective tool for interpersonal communication and narrowcasting in peoples homes and in courtyards.

Background/Objectives:

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Ujjiban Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBCC) Project is a 5-year integrated effort designed to improve the health of communities across Bangladesh. Ujjibans integrated approach addresses maternal, neonatal, child and adolescent health; family planning; nutrition, and tuberculosis. This ambitious project works closely with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to increase the number of individuals who use health services and encourage adoption of healthy behaviors among all Bangladeshis. Ujjiban also coordinates among partners to develop quality leadership and strengthen governmental services at all levels.

Description of Intervention and/or Methods/Design:

Ujjiban has developed more than 60 audio-visual materials to facilitate field-level interpersonal communication sessions. Our field observation and interviews with frontline workers and community members helped to identify the difficulties that frontline workers face in disseminating audio-visual materials at the community level. The research led us to load Ujjibans audio-visual materials onto SD cards that we have distributed to frontline workers. We heard overwhelmingly positive feedback from both community and frontline workers during the pilot phase; to date 1000 SD cards have been distributed.

Results/Lessons Learned:

Our field observations and discussions with field level supervisors, local leaders, and community stakeholders confirmed the cost-effectiveness of the tool. The SD cards facilitate a broader range and greater ease of dissemination of key content. Implementing organizations are not required to procure new smart phones or other equipment for their workers as the cards are compatible with a wide range of devices. However, some very basic phones do not have technical capability or configuration to host the audio-visual materials. Initially we distributed the SD cards directly to frontline workers. As a result, the immediate line managers did not recognize the value of this tool. To address this issue, we subsequently supplied SD cards to the immediate managers and conducted orientation sessions for second-tier managers. Both front line workers and their managers are now on board and appreciate the ease and effectiveness on demand generation.

Discussion/Implications for the Field:

In addition to field-level orientations and distribution of these SD cards, we continue to advocate with government departments to facilitate SD card procurement and implementation utilizing their own resources. The government family planning department has agreed to put the SD cards into new devices that government is procuring. We are continuing to initiate a similar mechanism with the health, nutrition and other related ministries and departments. Other national and international NGO partners are recognizing the effectiveness of the SD cards and have started using this mechanism to implement and scale up the initiative in additional regions across the country.

Abstract submitted by:

Kazi Faisal Mahmud - JHU CCP Bangladesh
Patrick Coleman - JHU CCP Bangladesh
Sanjanthi Velu - JHU CCP
Paula  Stauffer - JHU CCP
Belal Uddin - Save the Children
Ashiqul Islam - JHU CCP Bangladesh