Center for Health Market Innovations (CHMI)

Programs

Community Health Workers (CHW) PhoneReporting

last updated Sep 27, 2011

Overview

Implementing organization: 
Malaria Consortium
Implementation Partner(s): 
Ugandan Ministry of Health
Legal Status: 
Public-private partnership
Stage: 
Pilot/startup stage
Income Level of Target Population: 
All income levels

Funding

Primary Source of Funding: 
Donor
Additional Source(s) of Funding: 
Government

Technology

Technology Used: 
Phones
Summary: 

Community Health Workers (CHW) PhoneReporting aims to reduce causes of under-five mortality by improving the timeliness, completeness and accuracy of reporting on malaria, pneumonia and diarrhea cases at the community level by the Village Health Team (VHT) (as CHWs are known in Uganda). Data is transmitted weekly using mobile phones.

Program goals/rationale: 

Uganda has a particularly high incidence rate of malaria because of the larger concentration of malaria transmitting mosquitoes and lower coverage and proper use of insecticide treated long-lasting mosquito nets. The inadequate performance of local health facilities increases the fatality of the disease and large numbers of infected individuals quickens its spread.

Key program components: 

It is against this background that the Community Health Workers (CHW) PhoneReporting was initiated to equip community health workers with phone technology and necessary skills to ensure adequate and timely treatment and reporting of malaria, pneumonia and diarrhea at the community levels. Health workers are equipped with a mobile-phone based application through which they submit weekly information on observed cases of malaria/fever, pneumonia and diarrhea.

The registered, trained and active VHTs that have access to medication and are treating patients as part of the iCCM (Integrated Community Health Management) use a WAP- based application, accessible through a form on their mobile phones, to record and report patient data. The reporting period opens at the end of each week, when both VHTs and their supervisors receive SMS reminders about reporting. Furthermore, supervisors receive information on incomplete or defaulting reports.

The programme also provides intensive training and support supervision, free diagnostic tools such as malaria tests and respiratory timers, and free medicines in order to assist the VHTs in diagnosing and treating malaria, pneumonia and diarrhea at the community level.

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