Health Information Technology Commons^™

Using Mobile Phones To Improve Community Health Workers Performance In Low-And-Middle-Income Countries, Anam Shahil Feroz, Rawshan Jabeen, Sarah Saleem

Community Health Sciences

Background: In low-and-middle-income countries community health workers are the core component of the PHC system as they act as a liaison between the communities and the healthcare facilities. Evidence suggests that the services offered by these workers have helped in the decline of maternal and child morbidity and mortality rates and the burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases. However, the coverage and the overall progress towards achieving the SDG targets is very sluggish. The recent consensus concerning this current pace of progress, is that it relates to financial and human resources constraints. CHWs are overburdened as they are expected to …

Telehealth: An Important Player During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Naureen Akber Ali, Adeel Khoja

School of Nursing & Midwifery

No abstract provided.

Operability, Acceptability, And Usefulness Of A Mobile App To Track Routine Immunization Performance In Rural Pakistan: Interview Study Among Vaccinators And Key Informants, Shehla Zaidi, Saqib Ali Shaikh, Saleem Sayani, Abdul Momin Kazi, Adeel Khoja, Syed Shahzad Hussain, Rabia Najmi

Community Health Sciences

Background: There has been a recent spate of mobile health (mHealth) app use for immunizations and other public health concerns in low- and middle-income countries. However, recent evidence has largely focused on app development or before-and-after effects on awareness or service coverage. There is little evidence on the factors that facilitate adoption of mHealth programs, which is critical to effectively embed digital technology into mainstream health systems.

Objective: This study aimed to provide the qualitative experiences of frontline health staff and district managers while engaging with real-time digital technology to improve the coverage of routine childhood immunization in an underserved …

Addressing Cost And Time Barriers In Chronic Disease Management Through Telemedicine: An Exploratory Research In Select Low-And Middle-Income Countries, Saleem Sayani, Momina Muzammil, Karima Saleh, Abdul Muqeet, Fabiha Zaidi, Tehniat Shaikh

Office of the Provost

Despite evidence supporting telehealth provision in developed countries, there is limited evidence regarding its economic benefits for patients living in areas where access and cost present major barriers to health care, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This study explores the economic benefits of telemedicine for patients, in terms of cost and times savings, and its potential role in improving chronic disease outcomes. This retrospective cross-sectional study compared telemedicine services with hypothetical in-person consultations, with a focus on patient travel time and travel cost savings. A database containing teleconsultation visits (N = 25,182) conducted at health facilities in remote …

Assessment Of Patient-Centered Approaches To Collect Sexual Orientation And Gender Identity Information In The Emergency Department: The Equality Study, Adil H. Haider, Rachel R. Adler, Eric Schneider, Tarsicio Uribe Leitz, Anju Ranjit, Christina Ta, Adele Levine, Omar Harfouch, Danielle Pelaez, Lisa Kodadek

Section of General Surgery

Importance: Health care and government organizations call for routine collection of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) information in the clinical setting, yet patient preferences for collection methods remain unknown.
Objective: To assess of the optimal patient-centered approach for SOGI collection in the emergency department (ED) setting.
Design, setting, and participants: This matched cohort study (Emergency Department Query for Patient-Centered Approaches to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity [EQUALITY] Study) of 4 EDs on the east coast of the United States sequentially tested 2 different SOGI collection approaches between February 2016 and March 2017. Multivariable ordered logistic regression was used to …

Health Systems Readiness For Adopting Mhealth Interventions For Addressing Non-Communicable Diseases In Low- And Middle-Income Countries: A Current Debate, Anam Shahil Feroz, Muhammad Masood Kadir, Sarah Saleem

Community Health Sciences

In low-and-middle-income countries, epidemiologic transition is taking place very rapidly from communicable diseases to non-communicable diseases. NCDs mortality rates are increasing faster and nearly 80% of NCDs deaths occur in LMICs. Existing weak health systems of LMICs are undergoing a devastating human and economic toll as a result of increasing treatment costs and losses to productivity from NCDs. At the same time, the increasing penetration of mobile phone technology and the spread of cellular network and infrastructure have led to the introduction of the mHealth field. While mHealth field offers a great promise to prevent and control non-communicable diseases in …

Geo-Spatial Reporting For Monitoring Of Household Immunization Coverage Through Mobile Phones: Findings From A Feasibility Study, Abdul Momin Kazi, M. Ali, Ayub Khan, Hussain Kalimuddin, K. Zubair, A.N. Kazi, Azmina Artani, Syed Asad Ali

Department of Paediatrics and Child Health

Background: The addition of Global Positioning System (GPS) to a mobile phone makes it a very powerful tool for surveillance and monitoring coverage of health programs. This technology enables transfer of data directly into computer applications and cross-references to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) maps, which enhances assessment of coverage and trends.
Objective: Utilization of these systems in low and middle income countries is currently limited, particularly for immunization coverageassessments and polio vaccination campaigns. We piloted the use of this system and discussed its potential to improve the efficiency of field-based health providers and health managers for monitoring of the immunization …

Building Comprehensive And Sustainable Health Informatics Institutions In Developing Countries: Moi University Experience, Martin C. Were, Abraham Siika, Paul O. Ayuo, Lukoye Atwoli, Fabian Esamai

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Current approaches for capacity building in Health Informatics (HI) in developing countries mostly focus on training, and often rely on support from foreign entities. In this paper, we describe a comprehensive and multidimensional capacity-building framework by Lansang & Dennis, and its application for HI capacity building as implemented in a higher-education institution in Kenya. This framework incorporates training, learning-by-doing, partnerships, and centers of excellence. At Moi University (Kenya), the training dimensions include an accredited Masters in HI Program, PhD in HI, and HI short courses. Learning-by-doing occurs through work within MOH facilities at the AMPATH care and treatment program serving …

The Government Of Kenya Cash Transfer For Orphaned And Vulnerable Children: Cross-Sectional Comparison Of Household And Individual Characteristics Of Those With And Without, Lukoye Atwoli, Lonnie Embleton, Julius Koech, Paula Braitstein, Allan Kamanda

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Background: The ‘Cash Transfer to Orphans and Vulnerable Children’ (CT-OVC) in Kenya is a government-supported program intended to provide regular and predictable cash transfers (CT) to poor households taking care of OVC. CT programs can be an effective means of alleviating poverty and facilitating the attainment of an adequate standard of living for people’s health and well-being and other international human rights. The objective of this analysis was to compare the household socioeconomic status, school enrolment, nutritional status, and future outlook of orphaned and separated children receiving the CT compared to those not receiving a CT.

Methods: This project analyzes …

Implementation Lessons On The Use Of Innovation In Information Technology In The Developing World, Salim Hasham, Saleem Sayani

Section of Ophthalmology

Information Technology (IT) innovation and its impact on health care is of particular relevance to the developing world, which spends a fraction of what health systems spend in OECD countries. Given the issues of accessibility, affordability and quality health services in the developing world, IT can play an important role by bringing marginalized communities closer to health care systems. Aga Khan University (AKU) and the eHealth Resource Center (eHRC), which are part of Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), are active in the developing regions of east africa, Central Asia and South East Asia and are currently initiating new changes in …

Problems And Issues In Implementing Innovative Curriculum In The Developing Countries: The Pakistani Experience, Syeda Kauser Ali, Lubna A. Baig

Department for Educational Development

Background: The Government of Pakistan identified 4 medical Colleges for introduction of COME, one from each province. Curriculum was prepared by the faculty of these colleges and launched in 2001 and despite concerted efforts could not be implemented. The purpose of this research was to identify the reasons for delay in implementation of the COME curriculum and to assess the understanding of the stakeholders about COME.

Methods: Mixed methods study design was used for data collection. In-depth interviews, mail-in survey questionnaire, and focus group discussions were held with the representatives of federal and provincial governments, Principals of medical colleges, faculty …

Advances In Information And Communication Technology (Ict): Issues, Challenges And Opportunities For Health Care Professionals, Waris Qidwai

Department of Family Medicine

No abstract provided.