From Peer Support to Program Supervision: Qualitative Insights on WhatsApp as Informal Digital Infrastructure for Community Health Workers and Public Health Officers in an Indian High-Priority Aspirational District.

ABSTRACT: Background: In low-resource health systems, official mHealth platforms often face usability and infrastructure barriers. In India, Community Health Workers (CHWs) and their supervisors have pragmatically turned to WhatsApp as an informal digital infrastructure. While widely adopted, its dual role as both a support system and a source of burden remains underexplored. Aim: To examine the patterns and purposes of WhatsApp use among CHWs and block-level supervisors; to identify perceived benefits, barriers, and risks; and to assess its influence on workflow, power relations, digital equity, and program outcomes in an Indian Aspirational District. Methods: We conducted a qualitative study between June and December 2023 in Muzaffarpur, Bihar, India. Data comprised 32 in-dept

SUBMITTER: Thakur A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12428105 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature