Paper accepted in AMCIS 2014

Md Munirul Haque, Sheikh Iqbal Ahamed, Ferdaus Kawsar, Md Adibuzzaman, Md Miftah Uddin, Richard Love, Ragib Hasan, Rumana Dowla, and Reza Salim, “Barriers for Breast Cancer (BC) Patients in Rural Bangladesh: Design and Deployment of a Mobile based Solution” in Proceedings of the 20th Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS 2014), August 7 – 10, Savannah, Georgia.

Abstract: Here, we present the findings of our field study conducted on 39 breast cancer patients in rural Bangladesh. Lack of motivation to go to health centers on patients’ side due to financial, social and transportation hazards result in inadequate data for proper assessment. In this scenario a mobile phone based remote symptom monitoring system (RSMS) with inspirational videos can serve the purpose of both patients and doctors. Based on the results of extensive field studies we have designed, developed and deployed e-ESAS – the first mobile based RSMS for rural context. Along with the detail need assessment of such a system, we describe the evolution of e-ESAS and the deployment results. The findings show how e-ESAS addresses several challenges faced by patients and doctors, and positively impact their lives.