Abstract

In low- and middle-income countries such as India, community health workers (CHWs) serve as the primary and often the only access point to healthcare services for rural communities. The Indian government is digitizing the healthcare sector through the National Digital Health Mission 2020 to attain Goal 3 of the Sustainable Development Goals. In Uttar Pradesh, the work of CHWs has been digitized by equipping ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) and AWW (Anganwadi Worker) with smartphones and ANM (Auxiliary Nurse Midwife) with tablets. This study aims to find the digital and nondigital communication tools that CHWs employ while providing healthcare services in rural areas of Uttar Pradesh. In this exploratory study, the authors conducted semistructured interviews (“n” = 24) with CHWs [ASHA, ANM, AWW, and AWH (Anganwadi Helper)] and six focus group discussions (“n” = 62) with health beneficiaries in three districts of Uttar Pradesh. The qualitative datasets were analyzed using thematic analysis. The authors found CHWs utilizing social media platforms like WhatsApp and YouTube on their digital devices to share health-related information. YouTube videos are the most popular medium used by CHWs, as it helps them persuade their health beneficiaries to adopt healthy practices. CHWs are also proficient in using nondigital communication tools such as posters, banners, pictures, rallies, and folk media. The integration of digital and nondigital communication tools has improved health information delivery among CHWs and their health beneficiaries, leading to enhanced health outcomes in rural areas and bridging the gap between healthcare providers and health beneficiaries.