Kyle Duarte of Management Systems for Health explains the use of mobile technology in delivering health services to hard-to-reach populations and how mHealth has improved health outcomes.

1. Stronger health systems. Greater health impact.
mHealth
CCIH Conference June 2012
Kyle Duarte | Director, Systems Analysis & Software Products | CPM | MSH
Management Sciences for Health 1

2. Overview
• What is mHealth and why is it so important?
• Use of mobile technologies within MSH’s projects
• Field examples:
o Use of mobile phone based dispensing
solutions in Namibia (SPS Namibia)
o Data collection using mobile phones (SPS EUV
Malawi)
• Best practices in design and implementation
• Questions
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3. Technology in health systems
ICT
eHealth
mHealth
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4. mHealth potential
Source: "mHealth for Development: the Opportunity of Mobile African Cell Phone Owners Growth- ITU
Technology for Healthcare in the Developing World", 2009 Adoption - http://www.mit.edu/~tavneet/M-PESA.pdf
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5. Mobile Phone Technologies as..
Data Delivery
SMS txt message-direct to Supply Chain Management
end users
Two way data delivery Diagnostics
+
Data Collection Health Education
Remote data collection
Data validation
= Mobile Payments
Geo tagging
Patient Adherence/tracking
+
Data Integration
Advocacy/health promotion
Layering data on dashboards,
maps
Specialized solution and many, many more
Management Sciences for Health 5

6. Overview
• What is mHealth and why is it so important?
• Use of mobile technologies within MSH’s projects
• Field examples:
o Use of mobile phone based dispensing
solutions in Namibia (SPS Namibia)
o Data collection using mobile phones (SPS EUV
Malawi)
• Best practices in design and implementation
• Questions
Management Sciences for Health 6

7. Main Uses in MSH’s Projects
Data Delivery
• Mobile phone as modems in Namibia
Data Collection and Aggregation
• Malaria indicators (SPS Project, Malawi)
• Inspecting and monitoring medicines using PDAs (SEAM
Project, Tanzania)
• Post market surveillance and GIS mapping (ADDOs & SDSI
Project, Liberia, Tanzania and Uganda)
Data Integration
• A ‘lite’ version of EDT Namibia (SPS Project)
• HACTS System in Ethiopia using Mobile Data Force (SCMS
Project)
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8. Overview
• What is mHealth and why is it so important?
• Use of mobile technologies within MSH’s projects
• Field examples:
o Use of mobile phone based dispensing
solutions in Namibia (SPS Namibia)
o Data collection using mobile phones (SPS EUV
Malawi)
• Best practices in design and implementation
• Questions
Management Sciences for Health 8

9. Background mEDT SPS Namibia
• Incomplete, missing data on ARV dispensing
from outreach sites
• Poor inventory management; bad data for
quantification
• Unable to schedule patient appointments
• Ineffective adherence monitoring
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10. Solution: Adapting to Mobile Technology
• mEDT: Adapt existing EDT (dispensing tool) to
mobile phone + hand held scanner
• Core functions: Stock management, dispensing,
patient scheduling and adherence monitoring
• Scanner is used to scan bar codes on medicines
when dispensed to patients
• Data is synchronized when docked to the
desktop
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11. Results
• 14% (12,320)* of all patients on ART are serviced at
outreach sites through the EDT-mobile
• Increased speed and accuracy of dispensing at
outreach sites as both dispensing and label printing
is automated
• Elimination of the need for double recording thus
freeing staff to perform other critical tasks
• Improved stock control at outreach sites due to
accurate data on quantities of each ARV dispensed
at the outreach site
* Data as of 2009
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12. Conclusions
• The mEDT + mobile scanner is a fast, cost
effective and efficient way to manage ART
records in remote settings
• Effective solution for situations where desktop
computers are not feasible
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13. Overview
• What is mHealth and why is it so important?
• Use of mobile technologies within MSH’s projects
• Field examples:
o Use of mobile phone based dispensing
solutions in Namibia (SPS Namibia)
o Data collection using mobile phones (SPS EUV
Malawi)
• Best practices in design and implementation
• Questions
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14. Background
• NMCP conducts supervision visits to assess
• Availability of Malaria commodities
• Assess how facilities are diagnosing and
treating malaria
• SPS Program and NMCP piloted DataDyne’s
EpiSurveyor to collect and analyze data on
malaria commodity availability and case
management indicators
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15. Objectives
• Assess how well EpiSurveyor alleviates the
burden of data collection, data entry, and data
analysis
• Use the GPS feature in EpiSurveyor to map out
health facilities
• Evaluate performance of the solution with limited
support from DataDyne
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16. Methodology
• Modified and customized the Monitoring Tool to
incorporate multiple program commodities and
indicator requirements
• Trained assessment teams on the proper use of
the tool and cell phone for data entry (1 day)
• Pre-tested the tool at five sites
• Finalized the assessment tool for data collection
• 56 facilities visited (3 teams, Nokia E71 phone)
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17. Phones in Action
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18. Instant analysis following data entry
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19. Data visualization using GIS Mapping
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20. Conclusions
• EpiSurveyor Mobile was successful in data
collection and analysis
• The solutions can applied and adapted in
functionally similar settings
• This can now be carried out by NMCP without
external technical assistance
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21. Overview
• What is mHealth and why is it so important?
• Use of mobile technologies within MSH’s projects
• Field examples:
o Use of mobile phone based dispensing
solutions in Namibia (SPS Namibia)
o Data collection using mobile phones (SPS EUV
Malawi)
• Best practices in design and implementation
• Questions
Management Sciences for Health 21

22. Best practices in design
1 2 3 4
Tried and Locally
Relevant Sustainable
Tested Owned
…based on
…Tried and tested …designed to
… in partnership leveraging
concepts that address the most
with local international/regi
work, so that the urgent, basic or
stakeholders to onal experiences
client makes fundamental
ensure knowledge and
progress with program’s
transfer and methodologies
pace and certainty information
ownership with local
of outcome challenges
stakeholders
Goals and Objectives
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23. Best practices in implementation
Goals and Objectives
1 2 3 4
Capacity Process Data Technology
Training needs Best practices Data elements Phone OS
and support incorporated in Form design Open source
strategy. SOP Analysis solution
User driven development Non proprietary
design databases
Scalable
platforms
Measureable impact that is sustainable
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24. Key Take Aways
• Do not duplicate – adapt existing tools or
innovate within solutions
• Ensure user driven design – solutions that work
well in the “lab” may not work well in the field
• Build in interoperability between databases –
HL7 standards for data exchange
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25. Useful resources
USAID-mHealth Alliance: http://www.mhealthworkinggroup.org/
Mendeley groups white papers:
http://www.mendeley.com/groups/1446673/final-instedd-mhealth-
literature-collection/papers/
K4health toolkit:http://www.k4health.org/toolkits/mhealth-
toolkit
PSM tool kit: http://www.psmtoolbox.org/en/tool-
details%7CCapacity-building%7CIndoor-Residual-Spraying-IRS-
Toolkit%7C237
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26. Implementers/Stakeholders Technology providers
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27. QUESTIONS ?
Stronger health systems. Greater health impact.
Saving lives and improving the health
of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people
by closing the gap between knowledge and action
in public health.
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