The country struggles not only with scarce resources and insufficient
4
healthcare professionals, but also with providing safe and quality-
5
based healthcare. The MedAfrica app tries to respond to exactly this challenge by providing detailed contact information for 7,200 qualified doctors and 8,076 quality assured health facilities - all freely accessible for the app’s users.
Medafrica. 2012.
Pivot25 is an mlab initiative to bring focus on the Mobile developer and entrepreneur community in East Africa. mlab East Africa is a consortium of four organizations aiming to be a leader in identifying, nurturing and helping to build sustainable enterprises in the knowledge economy. Ericsson. Health care and painting apps win top prizes in 2012 Ericsson Application Awards. 2012. 6
The development and structure of the app are based on the idea of
FROM OPPORTUNITY...
The patient as the expert
involving the individual patient as an active consumer of healthcare. Besides allowing the user to locate qualified healthcare providers,
Since the 2000 Institute of Medicine report, “To
The patient role in improving patient safety is
MedAfrica also provides a diagnostic tool to identify the potential
err is human – building a safer health system,” pa-
widely recognized by the WHO.
cause of illness and then link patients to specialists who can treat
tient safety has gained an increasingly prominent
them.4 Furthermore, it offers information on recommended drugs and
place on the international health policy agenda.7
A main part of their “Patient Safety Program” and
diets for specific medical conditions. By providing this kind of informa-
Fifteen years on, the quest continues to find new
work for promoting patient safety throughout the
tion, the app is taking a great step towards closing the gap between
models and new systems that can help improve
world is initiatives that include and incorporate
the supply of professionals and demand of the Kenyan people. It helps
patient safety in healthcare. 8
patients as active players in this process. 9
remove some of the pressure on the healthcare system by serving as a first point of entry to the healthcare sector – helping to focus and
One example from the WHO is the “Patients for
guide healthcare consumers in the right direction.
Safety” initiative that was launched in 2004.
The app was developed in partnership between Samsung, Nokia, the
The initiative aims to build a global network that
Kenya Open Data Initiative, and others. The app is not publicly funded,
champions patients as key change makers when
but is rather a product based on a clear underlying business model.
it comes to improving safety in the healthcare
Thus, Shimba Technologies receive revenues for the free app through
sector. Through the initiative, the WHO works ac-
targeted ads and extended subscription services.
tively for “a world in which patients are treated as partners in efforts to prevent all avoidable harm in healthcare.” 10
Since its launch in 2011, MedAfrica has been growing quickly. Today the app has more than 200,000 downloads, about 60% of which are active users and the app is currently one of the top 10 apps in Kenya.
Looking to the future, patient involvement and
These numbers clearly indicate that the app is an accessible and nec-
engagement as a means of improving the culture
essary tool for the average Kenyan; it’s a spot-on solution for meeting
of safety are recognized as key components of
the country’s healthcare demands.
creating much safer healthcare systems. 11,12
The company behind the app is now focused on scaling and extending its reach. They are currently working on cross-border partnerships that will open the door for spreading the app to other countries. At the same time they are adding more user services, and listing more doctors by collaborating with one of the country’s doctors organizations. They are also developing a Ministry of Health feed with real-time information on disease outbreaks. The potential for this app is substantial
TAKE AWAY
because it offers a solution to a great healthcare problem – not only in
Convenient, accessible and user-friendly technology can pave the way for more equitable and high quality healthcare – not just for the few, but for the masses.
Kenya, but in many developing countries: safe and quality healthcare is not a commodity for all, but still reserved the few. The success of and future potential for the app has been widely recognized. In its short history, the app has won the Pivot25 award5 and the Ericsson Award, the latter “for the potential to bring important information to many people and give them the power and knowledge to take better care of their communities.”6
WHO. Exploring patient participation in reducing health-care-related safety risks. 2013. 7, 8, 9
WHO. Patients for Patient Safety. 2015. 10
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AHRQ. The Role of Patients in Safety. 2015. 11
The bmj spotlight. Patient Centred Care. 2015. 12
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