App/Software

Ephrance Nuwamanya of Bushenyi Integrated Rural Development (BIRD) in Uganda will improve routine immunization coverage in Uganda by developing a digital system for health centers to record births and vaccinations, send automated reminders and education messages to families via SMS, and monitor vaccine orders and supplies. Vaccinations can prevent many potentially deadly diseases. However, few children are properly vaccinated across many sub-Saharan African countries, and there is no effective way to monitor vaccinations and educate families.

Agnes Mindila of the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Kenya will develop a software application along with blockchain technology to monitor the supply chains delivering vaccines from the producers to the health workers to ensure good quality vaccines are available when needed. They will use blockchain technology, which involves digitally storing information in blocks that are shared across a network of computers and can be continually updated.

Jessica Vernon of Maisha Meds in the U.S. will develop a smartphone-based point-of-sale system and online ordering platform to better supply medications to the private healthcare markets across sub-Saharan Africa. Local private pharmacies supply important health care products to a large number of people, particularly those without employer-funded health care. However, they are often understocked, or stocked with poor quality or expensive medicines, and require cash payments.

Yuehwern Yih of Purdue University in the U.S. will develop a cloud-based digital tracking tool to record data from local health centers in Uganda on the health status of pregnant women and the turnover of their stock, as well as diagnostic laboratory data, to optimize ordering and improve the availability of medical supplies. They will develop applications mimicking the current time-consuming paper-based registry formats to digitally record the relevant data, and adapt a material requirement planning system, which is used in manufacturing to track parts and maintain stocks.

Olorunsogo Adeoye of the African Field Epidemiology Network in Nigeria will set up an immunization tracking system based on SMS in Nigeria to register children's immunizations, send out reminders of vaccination schedules, and educate families on the importance of routine childhood immunizations. Late or missing vaccinations are a major cause of morbidity and mortality particularly in developing countries. Poor vaccination coverage is due in part to a lack of information given to families on the importance and time-sensitivity of vaccinations and on the recommended schedules.

Natasha Gous of SystemOne in the U.S. will develop a mobile application and digital platform to support people testing themselves for HIV by sending them reminders, offering guidance, and reporting the results. Simple and rapid diagnostic tests and self-testing are now being used across low-resource settings to improve the diagnosis of HIV infections. However, results need to be interpreted manually, which can be difficult for uneducated users, and linked with health facilities so the appropriate care can be given.

Emmanuel Ihedioha of Lifespan Healthcare Resource Ltd in Nigeria will develop a web-based platform that acts as a lifetime register to track the immunizations of all Nigerian children from birth, issues timely reminders to parents and community members via SMS, and informs medical facilities which vaccines are needed. Currently, immunization cards issued to mothers are used to record and plan immunizations, but they can be lost or contain errors.

Marc Mitchell of D-tree International in the U.S. will develop an application that enables community health workers in Zanzibar to register children for immunizations before they are born, to ensure all children are vaccinated on time. Children are currently registered when they are already around four weeks old and only at health facilities, which excludes a lot of children born at home.

Jacob McKnight and Mike Wilson of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom will develop a simple application that contains information about the quality, location, and the nature and cost of services provided by the different pathology laboratories in Kenya so that doctors and patients can choose the one that best suits their needs. They will conduct surveys to collect key information on the pathology laboratories in the Nairobi area, and consult with doctors and medical associations to find out how they use those laboratory services and what needs to be improved.