Designing HepCare App: Promoting Hepatitis Prevention and Awareness in Bangladesh
摘要
Hepatitis remains a major public health concern in Bangladesh due to a lack of awareness, inadequate access to healthcare, and low vaccination rates. In response to these challenges, the ‘HepCare’ app has been designed, aiming to promote hepatitis prevention and awareness across Bangladesh. The app is expected to play a crucial role in reducing the country’s high rates of viral hepatitis. The User-Centered Design (UCD) methodology is used in this study to create a mobile health (mHealth) application (app) ‘HepCare’ that is tailored specifically for Bangladeshi people. The ‘HepCare’ app seeks to offer comprehensive information on any type of hepatitis, including prevention techniques, and modes of transmission. So the research objectives include conducting a needfinding analysis and developing low and high-fidelity prototypes of the ‘HepCare’ app. Key functionalities of the ‘HepCare’ app include “About the Types of Hepatitis”, “Prevention Guidelines From Online Resources”, “People at Risk”, “Chatbox”, “Guidelines for Living With Hepatitis”, “Symptoms Tracker”, “Medication Reminder”, “Doctor’s Appointment Reminder”, “Pregnancy and Hepatitis”, and “Advertisement and Awareness”. Interactive elements, like “Chatbox”, encourage participation and lessen stigma. Moreover, 91.2% of participants expressed willingness to use and recommend the ‘HepCare’ app during a user study. The user-friendly design of the high-fidelity prototype ensures intuitive interaction, becoming a vital resource in the fight against hepatitis in Bangladesh, empowering individuals with the information and resources.