The main problem is field staff unable to view and edit activity and indicator data when working in geographic areas with low or no internet connectivity. Without consistent data entry from field staff, reporting and project management loses its effectiveness. Cohort Mobile Lite provides field staff with a tool to manage workplan and results data to contribute to the collaboration on enterprise project portfolio management.
Cohort Mobile Lite runs on Windows mobile devices and provides workplan (activity and task) as well as results (indicators) management functions. Cohort Mobile Lite works with Cohort Mobile, the offline edition, and Cohort Central, the web-based enterprise edition, to provide a complete project management environment for international development, humanitarian assistance, and relief organizations. Cohort Mobile Lite is a scaled-down version of our enterprise software; this application allows field staff to enter and view project data without consistent internet connectivity.
Tanzania MOH and donors introduced reporting requirements for PMTCT (preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS) facilities to submit monthly reports to the district and regional levels for progam monitoring and decision making. Futures Group is responsible for collecting reports from PMTCT facilities across four regions. Sites are remote and there is no Internet, and no computers.
To meet the technical and budgetary challenges we developed IQSMS, an open source, freely available SMS reporting tool monitoring and evaluation data collection, to enable facilites to report on PMTCT indicators. IQSMS is used to track program activities at PMTCT sites in rural Tanzania using basic SMS mobile phone technology.
IQSMS is a freely available, software using SMS data in a predetermined format. Information is sent to a dedicated central laptop connected to Motorola mobile phones. The IQSMS software aggregates incoming SMS reports into an SQL database. Automated data quality checks, business rules and immediate notifications are sent to users ensuring that only validated data is added to the database. Aggregated PMTCT data is instantly available to district, regional and national managers based on role views.
FINALIST AND HONORABLE MENTION IN STOCKHOM CHALLENGE AWARD 2010
International Quality Short Message Services focus on development and implementation of a software technology that uses mobile phone to report data to a dedicated centralized computer. This will help coordinating medical care in various part of Tanzania. It is a project with great impact and potential for transferability particularly as the costs of telecom tend to decline with volume. It is a case of e-health, more clearly mobile e-health. International Quality Short Message Services makes health services available. a service which must be recognized. Congratulations.
Tool Category:
Resides and runs on a computer with tethered modem or mobile phone
Key Features :
The software uses SMS data in a predetermined format, sent to a dedicated central laptop connected to a Motorola mobile phone. The IQSMS software records incoming SMS reports into an SQL database. Automated data quality checks, business rules and immediate notifications are sent to users ensuring that only validated data is added to database. Aggregated PMTCT data is instantly available to district, regional and national managers based on role views.
IQSMS has reduced the time and costs associate with traveling to 535 facilities for data reporting, eliminated need to aggregate paper reports, reduced the need for expensive equipment, improved compliance in monthly reporting and has inspired confidence by rural healthcare workers that their results were accurately reported.
For the period from Jan –Dec 2009, 9867 total reports were submitted and 9400 reports were successfully validated. As the project takes advantage of mobile phones already owned by health workers, the training requirements are relatively low.
Main Services:
Information Resources/Information Databases
Tool Maturity:
Currently deployed
Release Date:
2009-12
Platforms:
All phones -- SMS
Current Version:
1.3
Program/Code Language:
C/C++
Organizations Using the Tool:
PMTCT facilities providing services to all mothers, fathers and children to infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. The plan is to scale up to include more PMTCT sites supported by AIDSRelief, the NGO we work with. The IQSMs has been demonstrated to the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and we are thinking of introducing the system to other regions not supported by AIDSRelief.
Mobile Phones for Social Transformation data sheet 2218 Views
Author:
Peter Holt
Publication Date:
Sep 2010
Publication Type:
Other
Abstract:
A new technology has crept onto the African scene that has enabled a step change in the way that the poor can access and share information. This concept paper outlines why we believe that Instant Messaging (IM) through services such as Mxit and JamiiX can make a significant difference, not only to the provision and impact of information services, but more importantly to the ongoing coaching and mentoring of individuals and communities. This technology offers benefits in terms of lower cost and greater ease of use, whereby users can enter into a “conversation” with a service provider. It is this ability to establish a relationship through the multiple exchange of texts that distinguishes the system from SMS based information services, and it is relationships that hold the key to translating information into practice and thus lasting transformation.
Zambia: Implementing The End Use Verification Survey Using Mobile Phone Technology data sheet 1740 Views
Author:
USAID
Publication Date:
Nov 2009
Publication Type:
Report/White paper
Abstract:
In November 2009, the USAID | DELIVER PROJECT office in Zambia, with technical assistance from the home office, conducted the End-Use Verification activity to assess the performance of the logistics management and supply chain systems for selected essential drugs, malaria and family planning commodities.
The survey was used in conjunction with the ongoing Essential Drugs Logistics System Pilot in Zambia, and overall objective was to assess how the logistics systems managed selected commodities at public health institutions, as well as provide a snapshot of how malaria was being diagnosed and treated at lower level facilities. This report presents the findings of the assessment as well as the short- and long-term recommendations to successfully implement the End-Use process, as well as the use of EpiSurveyor for regular data collection purposes.
Mobile Phones and Development: An Analysis of IDRC-Supported Projects data sheet 2826 Views
Author:
Ahmed T. Rashid and Laurent Elder
Publication Date:
Jan 2009
Publication Type:
Report/White paper
Abstract:
In the context of the rapid growth of mobile phone penetration in developing countries, mobile telephony is currently considered to be particularly important for development. Yet, until recently, very little systematic evidence was available that shed light on the developmental impacts of mobile telecommunication. The Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) program of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada, has played a critical role in filling some of the research gaps through its partnerships with several key actors in this area.
The objective of this paper is to evaluate the case of mobile phones as a tool in solving development problems drawing from the evidence of IDRC supported projects. IDRC has supported around 20 projects that cut across several themes such as livelihoods, poverty reduction, health, education, the environment and disasters. The projects will be analyzed by theme in order to provide a thematic overview as well as a comparative analysis of the development role of mobile phones. In exploring the evidence from completed projects as well as the foci of new projects, the paper summarizes and critically assesses the key findings and suggests possible avenues for future research.
Mobile Direct Observation Treatment for Tuberculosis Patients data sheet 1875 Views
Author:
Jeffrey A. Hoffman, Janice R. Cunningham, Andrew J.Suleh, Aaron Sundsmo, Debra Dekker, Fred Vago, Kelly Munly, Emmy Kageha Igonya, Jonathan Hunt-Glassman
Publication Date:
Jul 2010
Publication Type:
Journal article
Abstract:
Growth in mobile phone penetration has created new opportunities to reach and improve care to underserved, at-risk populations including those with tuberculosis (TB) or HIV/AIDS.
This paper summarizes a proof-of-concept pilot designed to provide remote Mobile Direct Observation of Treatment (MDOT) for TB patients. The MDOT model combines Clinic with Community DOT through the use of mobile phone video capture and transmission, alleviating the travel burden for patients and health professionals.
Three healthcare professionals along with 13 patients and their treatment supporters were recruited from the Mbagathi District Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. Treatment supporters were asked to take daily videos of the patient swallowing their medications. Patients submitted the videos for review by the health professionals and were asked to view motivational and educational TB text (SMS) and video health messages. Surveys were conducted at intake, 15 days, and 30 days. Data were collected in 2008 and analyzed in 2009
All three health professionals and 11 patients completed the trial. All agreed that MDOT was a viable option, and eight patients preferred MDOT to clinic DOT or DOT through visiting Community Health Workers.
MDOT is technically feasible. Both patients and health professionals appear empowered by the ability to communicate with each other and appear receptive to remote MDOT and health messaging over mobile. Further research should be conducted to evaluate whether MDOT (1) improves medication adherence, (2) is cost effective, and (3) can be used to improve treatment compliance for other diseases such as AIDS.
October is here, and so are plenty of events to keep your M4D calender full! Let us know in the comments or via email if you have an event you'd like to have included here.
7 October, Tech@State: mWomen (Washington, D.C., U.S.) Tech@State's latest event focuses on women and mobiles. Topics at the conference will cover the digital gender divide, mobile opportunities and benefits for women, and how to increase mobile access for women around the world.
9-10 October, The Media Consortium: Independent Media Hackathon (Chicago, U.S.) This event brings together programmers and journalists for a two-day coding marathon. The event is designed "to develop apps within the frame of “News + Fun + Community," that creatively integrate delivery of news/commentary with game mechanics (including gaming, fun, interaction, calls to action)."
Mobile Phone Interventions for Reproductive Health (m4RH): Testing the Feasibility of Text Messaging to Improve Family Planning data sheet 2132 Views
Author:
Kelly L’Engle and Heather Vadhat
Publication Date:
Jul 2009
Publication Type:
Report/White paper
Abstract:
Mobile phones are currently used by millions of people around the world. In Africa, mobile phone ownership and use has dispersed at a surprisingly rapid rate across the continent. Recently, there have been multiple and diverse efforts to exploit mobile technologies for purposes of health communication, including collection of health data and provision of health information. Using mobile phones to provide family planning information, however, is a new area that has received almost no attention from health workers.
Recognizing this as a gap and an opportunity, the Mobile for Reproductive Health (m4RH) project was born. The m4RH project is conceptualized as an automated, text-based system that is compatible with any and every mobile phone to maximize reach and access to family planning information via mobile phone. Since this is a new project and mobile phones are a novel method of delivering family planning information, formative research to obtain feedback on the project was carried out in countries where the m4RH project will be piloted in 2010.
Family Planning through the Mobile Phone, No Doctor Necessary! data sheet 4170 Views
The Institute for Reproductive Health (IRH) at Georgetown University, has pioneered a new way to inform women of their fertility status using mobiles. IRH conducted proof of concept testing in India for an SMS-based delivery of the Standard Days Method (SDM) as an information based, low-cost and non-hormonal method of family planning.
SDM is a scientifically tested fertility awareness-based method that is recommended by WHO as a modern, natural family planning method. From the first day of menses, in a 26-32 day cycle, a woman’s most likely fertile days are from days 8 to 19. Avoiding intercourse during these days of the cycle has been tested to show up to 95% effectiveness against pregnancy.
Because of the high use of traditional methods for family planning, and the ubiquity of mobile phones, IRH thought of developing an innovative mobile platform for reproductive health called CycleTel™. Currently in pilot phase, women can subscribe to the service via SMS on the first day of the menses, after which, a text message is sent to her mobile indicating her fertility status as per the 8-19 day fertile window.
The rural population of eastern Indonesia generally has limited access to health services due to rugged topography, poor roads and limited health resources. Moreover, there are no comprehensive audits of health infrastructure at the district level resulting in poor coordination of health resource allocation. This project is using mobile field data collection techniques to identify gaps in health services to enable more effective and equitable delivery of scarce health resources to remote and poor regions.
The study tested the assumption that recent changes in mobile mapping and GIS technologies have made them appropriate and effective tools for public health applications in rural, developing contexts. Three primary factors seen to be facilitating more widespread use were: (1) decreasing hardware costs, (2) the technological convergence of GPS/mobile-phone/PDA (personal digital assistant) hardware and (3) the development of free/open-source spatial data software.
The Mobile Minute is back with the latest mobile news. McKesson Foundation's president is interviewed about its $1.5 million grant for m-health research, Zimbabwe begins to roll out per-second mobile billing, NTEN shows non-profits in the United States seven ways to incorporate mobile donations, Apple publishes its guidelines for submissions to the app store, and Twitter releases new figures about their mobile access numbers.
Recently, MobileActive.org spoke to the Sana Mobile team to understand how the Android-based m-health application is being used in India. The Sana application, developed at MIT's Next Lab by students and volunteers, seeks to facilitate remote consultation between specialists, often in urban centers, and community health workers working in remote low-resource settings.
Instant remote consultation for complicated cases requiring specialist input helps bring care to patients, who would otherwise have limited access to tertiary care. Sana is developed on the Android platform, enabling users to integrate voice recordings, video and high resolution images in the diagnostic process.
Read our case study that describes the mobile tool and the pilot test in Bangalore where Sana was used to screen the risk of oral cancers.
Sana Mobile: Connecting Big-City Care to Patients in Remote Villages data sheet 5636 Views
Decision making support for nurses and health workers, even when connectivity is poor or low, is possible with Sana Mobile, an Android-based mobile health application. Formerly known as Moca Mobile, the Sana technology facilitates remote consultations between health care specialists and community health workers in remote areas.
Sana Mobile started at MIT's NextLab, where developers, faculty and students collaborate to tackle a problem using mobile technology. The Sana technology was developed by Sidhant Jena, Sana team lead and Harvard Business School student and Russell Ryan, lead engineer and MIT student.
When general practitioners lack the expertise to diagnose a case, they refer patients to specialists, who may not be easily accessible. The Sana technology addresses the lack of accessibility to specialty care in places, where specialist doctors and tertiary care centers are sparse.
Mobile Learning for HIV/AIDS Healthcare Worker Training in Resource-Limited Settings data sheet 1769 Views
Author:
Zolfo M. et al.
Publication Date:
Sep 2010
Publication Type:
Journal article
Abstract:
We present an innovative approach to healthcare worker (HCW) training using mobile phones as a personal learning environment. Twenty physicians used individual Smartphones (Nokia N95 and iPhone), each equipped with a portable solar charger. Doctors worked in urban and peri-urban HIV/AIDS clinics in Peru, where almost 70% of the nation's HIV patients in need are on treatment. A set of 3D learning scenarios simulating interactive clinical cases was developed and adapted to the Smartphones for a continuing medical education program lasting 3 months. A mobile educational platform supporting learning events tracked participant learning progress. A discussion forum accessible via mobile connected participants to a group of HIV specialists available for back-up of the medical information. Learning outcomes were verified through mobile quizzes using multiple choice questions at the end of each module.
In December 2009, a mid-term evaluation was conducted, targeting both technical feasibility and user satisfaction. It also highlighted user perception of the program and the technical challenges encountered using mobile devices for lifelong learning.
With a response rate of 90% (18/20 questionnaires returned), the overall satisfaction of using mobile tools was generally greater for the iPhone. Access to Skype and Facebook, screen/keyboard size, and image quality were cited as more troublesome for the Nokia N95 compared to the iPhone.
Training, supervision and clinical mentoring of health workers are the cornerstone of the scaling up process of HIV/AIDS care in resource-limited settings (RLSs). Educational modules on mobile phones can give flexibility to HCWs for accessing learning content anywhere. However lack of softwares interoperability and the high investment cost for the Smartphones' purchase could represent a limitation to the wide spread use of such kind mLearning programs in RLSs.
Want to use mobiles for data collection? Don't know where to start your research or where to read evaluations of existing and past mobile data collection efforts? You're in luck! We've produced the resource guide you've been waiting for.
Recently, MobileActive.org collaborated with UN Global Pulse to crowdsource an inventory of mobile data collection projects around the world. While this growing inventory shows there is enormous interest to leverage mobile technology for data collection, technical reports and evaluations of deployments and pilots are scattered.
So, we took the lead and compiled the existing literature (as best as we could) in an easy-to-use spreadsheet here.
Design of a Randomized Trial to Evaluate the Influence of Mobile Phone Reminders on Adherence to First Line ARV in South India data sheet 1510 Views
Author:
Ayesha De Costa, Anita Shet, Nagalingeswaran Kumarasamy, Per Ashorn, Bo Eriksson, Lennart Bogg, Vinod K Diwan, the HIVIND study team
Publication Date:
Jan 2010
Publication Type:
Journal article
Abstract:
[Adapted from Abstract]
This paper presents a year long study protocol for a trial, to evaluate the influence of mobile phone reminders on adherence to first-line antiretroviral treatment in South India (Chennai and Bangalore).
Researchers plan to enroll 600 treatment naïve patients for first-line treatment as per the national antiretroviral treatment guidelines at two clinics in South India. Patients will be randomized into control and intervention arms. The control arm will receive the standard of care; the intervention arm will receive the standard of care plus mobile phone reminders.
Each reminder will take the form of an automated call and a picture message. Reminders will be delivered once a week, at a time chosen by the patient. Patients will be followed up for 24 months or till the primary outcome i.e. virological failure, is reached, whichever is earlier. Self-reported adherence is a secondary outcome. Analysis is by intention-to-treat. A cost-effectiveness study of the intervention will also be carried out.
A step-by-step outline of designing a 24-month long trial to determine effectiveness of phone reminders for anti-retroviral adherence.
The HAART Cell phone Adherence Trial (WelTel Kenya1): A Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol data sheet 1898 Views
Author:
Lester, R. et al.
Publication Date:
Sep 2009
Publication Type:
Journal article
Abstract:
Background: The objectives are to compare the effectiveness of cell phone-supported SMS messaging to standard care on adherence, quality of life, retention, and mortality in a population receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Nairobi, Kenya.
Methods and Design: A multi-site randomized controlled open-label trial. A central randomization centre provided opaque envelopes to allocate treatments. Patients initiating ART at three comprehensive care clinics in Kenya will be randomized to receive either a structured weekly SMS (’short message system’ or text message) slogan (the intervention) or current standard of care support mechanisms alone (the control). Our hypothesis is that using a structured mobile phone protocol to keep in touch with patients will improve adherence to ART and other patient outcomes. Participants are evaluated at baseline, and then at six and twelve months after initiating ART. The care providers keep a weekly study log of all phone based communications with study participants. Primary outcomes are self-reported adherence to ART and suppression of HIV viral load at twelve months scheduled follow-up. Secondary outcomes are improvements in health, quality of life, social and economic factors, and retention on ART. Primary analysis is by ‘intention-to-treat’. Sensitivity analysis will be used to assess per-protocol effects. Analysis of covariates will be undertaken to determine factors that contribute or deter from expected and determined outcomes.
Discussion: This study protocol tests whether a novel structured mobile phone intervention can positively contribute to ART management in a resource-limited setting.
Responding to the Human Resource Crisis: Peer Health Workers, Mobile Phones, and HIV Care in Rakai, Uganda data sheet 1555 Views
Author:
Chang, L.W. et al.
Publication Date:
Jan 2008
Publication Type:
Journal article
Abstract:
Two challenges to successful antiretroviral therapy (ART) scale-up in resource-limited settings (RLS) are human resource and healthcare infrastructure limitations.
We read with interest the modeling study by Bärnighausen et al. which describes the complexities of ensuring adequate human resources to treat HIV/AIDS (HRHA). The authors suggest that factors needed to achieve universal ART coverage include “changes in the nature or organization of care,” training health workers with skills specific to the developing world to reduce emigration, and developing systems that decrease the number of traditional HRHA required to treat a fixed number of patients.
The Rakai Health Sciences Program (RHSP) PEPFAR-funded ART program has been actively pursuing innovative HIV care strategies that directly address these important points. In 2006, we piloted a novel program utilizing peer health workers (PHW) and mobile phones to monitor patients in a rural ART program in Rakai, Uganda.
Building an SMS Network into a Rural Healthcare System data sheet 1938 Views
Author:
Joshua Nesbit
Publication Date:
Jan 2010
Publication Type:
Other
Abstract:
This guide provides an inexpensive way to create an SMS communications network to enable healthcare field workers as they serve communities and their patients. The steps are purposefully simple – the system is easy to set up, use and maintain.
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions:
1. Who might benefit from a text-based communications network? 2. What are the benefits for my hospital, clinic or organization and the people it serves? 3. What technology do I need? 4. Do I need an internet connection? 5. How expensive is an SMS network? 6. How do I distribute communication credit? 7. How much staff training is required? 8. How much time does it take, per day, to manage the SMS network? 9. How do I conduct SMS training? 10. What is the best power source for the cell phones? 11. Do the CHWs communicate with each other? 12. Where can I find more information on FrontlineSMS?
Today's Mobile Minute brings you news on the state of the mobile web, California's plan to be the first state with a mass mobile alert system, Cisco's (rumored) move to buy Skype, a guide to installing PercentMobile on different platforms, and results from a study on the effects of SMS reminders for taking birth control pills.
One of the the key functions of mobile phones is their use in data collection. We have seen lots of online discussion here at MobileActive.org and elsewhere on the subject.
Here, we feature a peer-reviewed journal article from our growing list of resources on mobile data collection. In this 2009 paper, Ping et al. evaluated the effectiveness of PDA-based questionnaire verses a paper-based method for public health surveillance in Fiji.
Acquee.com is a SaaS offering of survey/form designer + mobile portal where data can be collected online. No software installation is required on the desktop or mobile side. It is a web based mobile data collection service designed for use with modern mobile devices.
The Mobile Minute is back with the latest mobile news. What's happening today? FrontlineSMS now supports MMS via email and offers scheduling features, an infographic breaks down the overlap between social networks and mobile phones, non-profits are ramping up their use of mobile giving campaigns, and Google introduces a new computer-to-phone voice service.
Improving Efficiency of Monitoring Adherence to ARV at PHC Level: Case Study of Introduction of Electronic Technologies in SA data sheet 2082 Views
Author:
Xanthe Wessels; Nicoli Nattrass; Ulrike Rivett
Publication Date:
Oct 2007
Publication Type:
Journal article
Abstract:
This paper presents a case study of the efficiency gains resulting from the introduction of electronic technologies to monitor and support adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in Guguletu, South Africa. It suggests that the rollout of HAART to such resource-poor communities can be assisted significantly by the introduction of modified cellphones (to provide home based support to people on HAART and improve the management of adherence data) and simple barcoding and scanning equipment (to manage drug supplies). The cellphones have improved the management of information, and simplified the working lives of therapeutic counsellors, thereby enabling them to spend less time on administration and to devote a constant amount of time per patient even though their case loads have risen threefold. It has helped integrate the local-level primary health service provision of HAART with the kind of centralised data capture and analysis that could potentially support a national HAART rollout.
Femi Soremekun, managing director of Nigeria-based Biofem Pharmaceuticals, is all too familiar with the fight against counterfeit drugs. In late 2008, a distributor notified him that he suspected that one of Biofem’s products, Glucophage, was being counterfeited. After checking batch and inventory numbers, Soremekun reassured him there was no evidence of such activity. It was only after more allegations surfaced that he sent a sample to French manufacturer Merck & Co. to be analyzed. Turns out the claims were correct. “I was very shocked,” Soremekun says. “[The counterfeiters] got into my market, counterfeited my product, and I wasn’t even aware of it. I was losing sales.”
It was around this time that Soremekun learned about Sproxil, a start-up company that is part of a consortium that includes Nigeria’s pharmaceutical industry association and the country’s regulating agency. The group explores technology-based strategies to tackle drug counterfeiting. On the sidelines of the consortium, Biofem and Sproxil discussed implementing a drug-certification process in order to restore Biofem customers’ confidence in Glucophage. Following a successful five-month trial in Nigeria involving about one million units of Biofem’s product, the company has seen sales pick up again. “We ended up being called the guinea pig,” Soremekun jokes.