A mobile app and web-based platform that digitizes data management for health workers that conduct community health camps.

Introduction

DigiHealth Mobile is a mobile application and web based platform that digitizes the process of data collection for health workers that conduct community health camps. We are addressing the challenge of poor data management among development organisations in health using an improved low-cost set of digital tools focused on improving data collection, analysis and visualization in remote areas in order to drive better decision making.

With the intervention of DigiHealth Mobile, the community health workers simply carry a smart phone or tablet instead of the large book and use these to record the patient data during the health camps. During this process, they are also able to access patient histories and also easily do referrals while in the field at the click of a button. This information is then sent to a dashboard where reports are generated and the information displayed in various charts as required by the health facility. The dashboard also displays aggregated patient data in form of statistics which can be used to make projection and plan for upcoming health camps. We built the app to function in the field without internet access since most of these health camps are carried out in remote areas with limited access to the internet.

Progress and Results

We came up with the idea of DigiHealth after seeing first hand how front-line health care providers were struggling to collect and mange patient data whenever they went out to offer health services to the most vulnerable in our communities.

With the seed fundig received from UNFPA through Outbox, we were able to register a company, conduct research, develop and test an MVP. We conducted users experience testing and training in Mengo Hospital and 4 health facilities in Bushenyi managed by Bushenyi Integrated Rural Development Fund.

Since then we have been able to train more healthcare providers and conduct further user experience tests to stream line our system to their needs. These training sessions were done in Mayanja Memorial hospital and Galilee Community Hospital in Masanafu. These facilities are currently using the platform on trial basis as we finalize partnership talks. We have also developed a hospital management system for Malaika Clinics in Nigeria (http://clinics.malaikahgroup.com/auth/login).

Challenges and Lessons Learnt

The biggest lesson learnt so far has been that health care providers, no matter how far they are in the villages, are willing to learn and adopt technology based solutions to ease their work. We have also learnt that innovation is not a one time process, we need to keep evolving the system to fit he changing needs of our target customers.

Challenges: some facilities lack the necessary hardware to adopt the solution like computers, tablets etc. Getting the foot through the door for a start-up company is hard in some of the facilities.

If you would like to know more about Digihealth Mobile, check out the resources below:

Website: www.digihealth.ug  

Documentation: http://hmis.infoclan.co/
This fact sheet was developed, with thanks, by:

Jacqueline Mutumba
Team Lead
DigiHealth Limited
Tel. +256794631450
Email. jacquem101@gmail.com