Mobile clinical management solution
Diseases like malaria and infantile diarrhoea are major problems in sub-Saharan African countries like Malawi. Health surveillance assistants (HSAs) are a group of trained outreach workers employed by the Malawian Ministry of Health to serve as frontline health care staff. To support HSAs and larger epidemiological bodies in effectively managing and controlling diseases, researchers have developed low-cost eHealth intervention technologies under the umbrella of the SUPPORTING LIFE(opens in new window) project. Key to the success of the project was the development of an Android-based smartphone application for supporting life using electronic community case management (CCM) – the SL eCCM app(opens in new window). Harnessing current CCM protocols for disease control, this app supports health workers in measuring and recording patients’ vital signs accurately. In a feasibility study, HSAs reported that the SL eCCM app improved their adherence to the CCM protocol and was perceived in a better light by parents and caregivers. The first clinical trial involving over 7 000 children and 101 HSAs in northern Malawi investigated the effectiveness of a mobile version of CCM. Preliminary results reveal there were similar referral rates in the intervention and control phases, but re-consultations at village clinics and hospital admissions were higher in the control phase. At a national healthcare level, the project team designed disease surveillance guidelines for an information system to address the challenges faced by the Malawian Ministry of Health. Researchers recommend a service corridor approach connecting silo systems to achieve an integrated surveillance platform with valid, consistent data. Results of the project were presented at stakeholder meetings, notably mobile Health (mHealth) projects and representatives from the Ministry of Health. As an active partner in the SUPPORTING LIFE project, Mzuzu University has increased research capacity in Malawi, enabling university staff to gain experience from international research collaboration on mHealth. Dissemination of the extensive project work and results has been correspondingly wide. Some seven journal articles, four book chapters and four conference publications have been published.
