Medic Mobile has worked with more than 30 implementing partners in 15 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. This work includes needs assessment and technology strategy, designing services that leverage effective communication, developing software, installing and configuring software and training health workers. We estimate that these efforts have impacted the care of more than 400,000 patients.
Our approach emphasizes getting to know Community Health Workers (CHWs) and designing technologies and services that they find helpful and familiar. This means taking time to understand context and how CHWs use the communication technologies that have already proliferated in their communities. Redesigning health services to more effectively leverage communication technologies involves identifying key interactions in the current workflow and testing new workflows in a series of iterations or prototypes. We draw heavily on a methodology called Human Centered Design. We’re also pragmatic and very ambitious about helping health services organizations meet their goals. We’re proud of the handful of partnerships we describe below. If you are interested in partnering with Medic Mobile, please send us an email to say hello!
St. Gabriels Hospital. Namitete, Malawi
In six months in 2008, our pilot in Malawi saved hospital staff 1200 hours of follow-up time and over $3,000 in motorbike fuel. Over 100 patients started TB treatment after their symptoms were noticed by CHWs and reported by text-message. The SMS network brought the Home-Based Care unit to the homes of 130 patients who would not have otherwise received care, and texting saved 21 antiretroviral therapy (ART) monitors 900 hours of travel time, eliminating the need to hand deliver paper reports. These results were published in the Technology and Health Care Journal. St Gabriel’s has since expanded the program and maintains it independently.
Knowledge for Health, Malawi
In partnership with the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs and Management Sciences for Health, Medic Mobile helped Malawi’s Ministry of Health implement a knowledge management program in two districts in Malawi. A key achievement was an SMS network that made stock monitoring and remote consultations 4x cheaper and 112x faster. This program is the topic of a video produced by Management Sciences for Health.
Clinton Health Access Initiative in Malawi
Medic Mobile helped CHAI implement an SMS network to coordinate follow up with clients who had missed appointments in a Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV program. During the first six months of operation, the SMS network was used to trace over 1,000 women, 39% of whom were successfully returned to care. The SMS network was deemed as effective as paper tracing forms, and capable of handling much larger client volumes.
