We’re working with the Government of Malawi to get health results into patients hands - in near real-time.
Yankho’s story
My name is Yankho and I am a person living with HIV. I was diagnosed three years ago and I have been on treatment ever since. I used to make monthly visits to a clinic 20 kilometers away from my village. During these visits, doctors assessed my health condition. The doctors would constantly complain about my delayed results from my HIV viral load tests. It was hard to know whether I was responding to treatment without these results.
I joined a civil society organization where we voiced our concerns about the delayed results. The government has now started an initiative where I can receive my viral load results on my phone. My doctors can also check the same results on their mobile phones.
I now know my viral load results without travelling a long distance. An explanation accompanying the results informs me whether I need to go to the clinic. I have been consistently taking my medication. I am doing well on treatment. Doctors have recommended that I should be taking six months’ worth of medication. Now I do not have to travel every month to the clinic.
A woman holds a mobile phone in a district of Malawi.
OVERVIEW
Together with the Ministry of Health (MOH) of Malawi and with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Cooper/Smith and Malawi-based Compelling Works are reducing the turnaround time for HIV viral load results. We are doing this by piloting an open-source digital, SMS & USSD based platform.
The platform uses mobile phones to deliver results directly to patients, allowing them to take an active role in their own care. In addition, health workers at facilities providing HIV services will also have their patients results sent directly to their mobile phones. This open-source product can be used with a basic feature phone or smartphone.
How does it work?
During blood draw, a trained healthcare worker helps patients sign up for the service using their mobile phone. Signing up is voluntary and subject to informed consent. A sample barcode ID is given to the patient, which, together with their registered phone number and the patient’s antiretroviral therapy (ART) number, allows the patient to check the progress of their test results.
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Once results are ready, an SMS notification is sent to the patient. This notification cues to the patient to check their results on a secure platform. Results will be released to the patient when they enter their secure access codes. Patients will be able to check the progress of their blood sample.
Registered and approved healthcare providers will also be able to access results for their clinic to allow them to provide appropriate care for their patients. Access will be granted on a need-to-have basis.
Our Solution is Open Source, Accessible & Has Many Applications
Open Source – The project code will be freely available on GitHub for download once the project is complete. In addition, technical documentation will also accompany the code to aid with integration into existing systems.
Accessible - The platform leverages two of the most widely accessible mobile phone channels (available on both feature and smart phones): SMS and USSD so that it can be easily replicated and used in almost any setting.
Use Cases – While the initial use case is to return HIV viral load results directly to patients and health care providers, this platform can be used to return any health-related result. In addition, it also sets the stage to use this technology as a two-way communication channel between patients and healthcare providers in the future.
We designed the platform to be sustainable and wholly owned by the Ministry of Health and aim to scale this solution across Malawi.
We are also eager to share our experience and tools with other countries looking for similar solutions. Please contact us at contact@coopersmith.org if interested to learn more
Resources
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