Mobile Technology To Support the Diagnosis and Treatment of Acute Malnutrition

Image: 

Geography: 

Tanzania

Status: 

Complete

URL: 

http://www.k4health.org/toolkits/mhealth/december-13-2010

Affiliated Organizations: 

D-Tree International

UNICEF

Dates: 

2010-2011

A mobile phone-based application to support health worker adherence to official guidelines for the identification and treatment of severe acute malnutrition. The software runs on Android operating system and combines on-device electronic medical records with protocol execution. The use of phone-based records and protocols makes access to information about a child's past weights, past treatments, and guideline targets easy for health workers, providing all the relevant information in a format that is easily followed and monitored. The software is an interactive application taking the health worker through the guidelines in a stepwise manner and using data from past and current visits to determine the child's progress and treatment. Data entered into the application has a secondary benefit of making program data available to health service administrators on a daily basis. The program was implemented as a pilot at two health facilities, Chumbuni and Fuoni, in 2010-2011. Results to date, which have largely been observational and qualitative, indicate the intervention is feasible and strong user acceptance.