Health IT

FrontlineSMS Initiative: Quantified Impact for Rural TB Program

Started by Joshua Nesbit on 25 Dec 2008
Last edited by Robert Szypko on 27 Jul 2011

Happy holidays, GHD!

I posted a while back with some specifics regarding a project at a hospital in rural Malawi. Here's a quick summary:

"Using a donated laptop, 100 recycled cell phones, and a copy of FrontlineSMS, I set up an SMS-based communications network for a rural hospital and its Community Health Workers (CHWs). The network allows the hospital to respond to requests for emergency medical care, track patients, record HIV and TB drug adherence, stay updated on patient status, mobilize remote communities for outreach testing, provide instant drug dosage/usage information, and connect HIV/AIDS support group members."

I'm now back in Malawi (on Christmas break, away from Stanford). A recent post on the project's blog - http://mobilesinmalawi.blogspot.com/ - titled, "Tuberculosis, Meet FrontlineSMS" outlines ways the hospital's TB program is using very simple tools to its advantage. Some members of this forum might be interested.

The SMS network is being utilized by a number of hospital programs, including home-based care, PMTCT, public health, and HIV/AIDS.

All the best,

Josh

Keywords: CHW  Community Health Workers  FrontlineSMS  ICT  malawi  rural healthcare  tb