FrontlineSMS runs a number of projects in various fields, two of which work in health:
1. Medic Mobile
Medic Mobile's (formerly known as FrontlineSMS:Medic) mission is to advance healthcare networks in under served communities using innovative, appropriate mobile technologies.
In many developing countries, lack of infrastructure will cause health workers to become disconnected from central clinics as they travel to isolated patients. To address this issue, this organization uses FrontlineSMS. By improving communications between clinical staff and field staff, Medic Mobile saves resources, time, and lives.
Using their new tool PatientView, Medic Mobile is able to help small clinics change from using unreliable and inefficient paper records to using a simple and easy-to-use electronic medical record system (EMR). PatientView also has many mobile features including the ability to coordinate SMS to and from health workers in the field, accept forms submitted on mobile phones, and more.
These tools are being used for about twenty projects in ten countries throughout Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Collectively these projects involve over 1,500 health workers who serve approximately 3.5 million patients.
2. FrontlineSMS:Learn
FrontlineSMS:Learn is a version of the FrontlineSMS platform that uses text messages to provide learning and evaluation support to educators and development programs all over the world. From 2010 to 2011, FrontlineSMS was used in Uganda to provide education and support to health workers. With reminders in the form of text messages, health workers reported:
- Being motivated by reminders to adhere to hand washing rules
- Referring to training manuals when receiving a quiz question
about treatment protocols
- Re-learning steps in instrument sterilization they had forgotten
- Using tips about pain management to more closely attend to clients
Additional Information:
- An evaluation of the FrontlineSMS:Learn deployment in Uganda.