Key components in ZiDi include:
a)
Electronic medical records (or
electronic health record): health
workers can document patient encounters in real-time. ZiDi archives the
longitudinal electronic record of an individual patient’s health information
that can be easily retrieved for future decision-making and treatment;b) TeleHealth (including telemedicine): Cases in ZiDi can be reviewed retrospectively and in real time. Experts can then advise the health workers on difficult cases from a virtual location;
c) mHealth (or health through the use of mobile devices): Health workers equipped with ZiDi can send specific text messages or forward generic messages to patients using the tablets. ;
d) eLearning (including distance education or learning): ZiDi enables gaps in health delivery to be identified. Custom training videos can therefore be provided to the health workers. The ZiDi enabled tablets can also be used for patient education and information sharing;
e) Reporting (including utilization rates, inventory, and finances): ZiDi autogenerates reports on service utilization. The inventory management module analyzes the turnover of drugs, vaccines and supplies and generates an order sheet with forecasts for the next 90 days. ZiDi also reports on income from services provided and by payment sources, including from vouchers.
f) Standardization and interoperability: Data collected in ZiDi can be exported as an Excel file for efficient and accurate offline analytics. The inventory management module uses the WHO classification of essential drugs and supplies. ZiDi ensures that the integrated management of health systems from the national down to the facility level is seamless.
ZiDi provides rights-based access to national, county, district and
facility level data through an administrative portal. Health officials, program
officers and researchers are guaranteed secure, real-time access to actionable
data on disease trends, inventory, fees, and human resource productivity. Donor organizations can monitor and evaluate
health programs from the convenience of their offices.
ZiDi is a disruptive innovation with significant benefits for
pharmaceutical and telecom partners. By automating quantification, forecasting and
access to essential drugs, pharmaceutical partners will for the first time have
access to current information on the market demand for drugs and medical
devices in Africa. Offering continuing
medical education to the thousands of health workers in Africa, of which there
are close to 75,000 in Kenya alone, will drive data use and benefit the telecom
partners. Implementation of ZiDi in
Kenya for example, where there are close to 7,500 public and private clinics,
could generate upwards of 150,000 health records daily and consume 1,2 million
hours of data per month. Mobile
carriers, tablet manufacturers, satellite and data management network providers
alike, can thus benefit from these growth opportunities.
Dr. Moka Lantum, managing partner, MicroClinic Technologies foresees
e-health content surpassing social medial and adult content in the not too
distant future as solutions like ZiDi penetrate Africa. “It’s an unprecedented opportunity
for mobile carriers as revenues from voice decline,” he said.
