Strengthening Expanded Program for Immunization Service Delivery through the Hayat mHealth Application: A Cross-Sectional Study in Upper and Lower Chitral, Pakistan

Background Mobile health (mhealth) technologies are revolutionizing and transforming healthcare delivery, particularly in low resource settings, by improving data accuracy, accessibility and decision making. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and usability of the Hayat m-health application in enhancing immunization service delivery ae well as data accuracy, compared to traditional manual EPI registers in Upper and Lower Chitral, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa KPK, Pakistan. Methodology A cross-sectional study conducted across 63 healthcare facilities using structured tools and data comparisons from the month of January to March 2024. Results The results showed that cumulative percentage difference (delta) between Hayat and manual records remained within acceptable 10% threshold for most vaccine antigens, indicating strong data accuracy. Whereas 100% of the 19 participating vaccinators demonstrated proficiency in features including registration and child search, although gaps were identified in advanced functions, like data integration and offline sharing. Vaccinator satisfaction with the application was undisputed. The matching of record between Hayat Application and vaccination cards exceeded 95% for all the essential antigens (BCG, Penta 1, Penta 2, Penta 3, MR 1, and MR 2). Therefore, these results support Hayat Application potential for improving immunization data accuracy and service delivery in the remote areas. Conclusion The Hayat mhealth application demonstrated strong potential for improving immunization of data accuracy and service delivery in remote areas and resource limited settings.