eHealth Digest May - August 2016

AKDN eHRC Presents at the 28th International Congress of Pediatrics

Saleem Sayani, Director, AKDN eHRC, at the 28th International Congress of Pediatrics in Canada in August. This year, the conference theme was ‘Community, Diversity, Vitality’.

Saleem presented on the use of technology to improve immunization rates in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). He discussed Teeko, an Android-based mobile health application and web portal, designed and developed by the AKDN eHRC for a project implemented by the Aga Khan University and the Sindh Government’s Expanded Programme on Immunization. The mobile application assists with vaccinator and immunization tracking and monitoring, thereby helping improve accountability, transparency and governance.

The presentation was well-received by the audience. A positive response was received from representatives from LMICs on how technology is being used to address challenges encountered in health care delivery.

Various Aga Khan University executives also attended the conference, including Firoz Rasul, President, Aga Khan University; Saida Rasul, Senior Lecturer, Medical College, Aga Khan University; Robert Armstrong, Dean, Medical College, Aga Khan University, East Africa; and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutta, Director of the Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Pakistan.

The French Medical Institute for Children Reaches a Milestone of 20,000 Teleconsultations

In June, the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) eHealth programme at the French Medical Institute for Children (FMIC) achieved a milestone - 20,000 teleconsultations. The programme at FMIC initiated 9 years ago, when the FMIC was connected to the Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi in 2007. Since then, specialists in Paris and Karachi have assisted local doctors at FMIC by providing second opinions for complicated cases. Over the years, services and specialties expanded as FMIC was connected to more sites.

Today, the FMIC has access to experts at the AKUH, K and the Necker Hospital for Sick Children in Paris, France. FMIC is also connected to healthcare facilities in Bamyan, Faizabad and Kandahar. It provides live and store-and-forward teleconsultations and eLearning sessions in various specialities to the provincial hospitals in Bamyan and Faizabad and eLearning services to a regional hospital in Kandahar.

Live teleconsultation being conducted in Cardiology between the Naryn Oblast Hospital and the Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland.

Geneva University Hospitals Initiates Live Teleconsultation Services for Patients in Naryn, Kyrgyz Republic

As part of an initiative taken by the Naryn Oblast Hospital, Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland began offering live teleconsultations in Angiology and Cardiology to patients at the Naryn Oblast Hospital. AKDN eHRC is collaborating with the hospital to provide comprehensive eHealth services to patients in Naryn.

Geneva University Hospitals is not part of the AKDN eHealth network; rather the hospital is offering services to patients at the Naryn Oblast Hospital on a need basis. This initiative is funded by the Swiss Government through the Medical Education Reforms Project.

AKDN eHRC Meets with Government Officials to Discuss Scaling Up Mobile Health Project

AKDN eHRC met with Dr Sikandar Mandharo, Sindh Health Minister and with other government health officials to discuss scaling up Teeko, the mobile app developed by AKDN eHRC for a research project being conducted by the Aga Khan University and the Sindh government’s Expanded Programme on Immunization. The meeting was also attended by Ahmed Bux Narejo, Secretary, Health; Dr Hassan Murad Shah, Director General, Health, Sindh; Dr Ahsaan, Director, Public-Private Partnership Unit; and Dr Shehla Zaidi, Associate Professor, Aga Khan University.

Teeko was initially launched in the Tando Mohammad Khan District of Sindh. After yielding successful results, the Sindh government endorsed the application and initiated meetings to discuss expanding the application. The app aims to improve accountability and governance of immunization activities by assisting with vaccinator and immunization tracking and monitoring in real-time.

During the meeting it was suggested that AKU should submit a proposal for further expansion of Teeko. The proposal has been submitted and is currently under review by the Ministry of Health.

Afroz Sajwani presents an overview of the telepsychiatry impact evaluation study.

Anam Feroz elaborates on the poster titled ‘Assessing Participants' Knowledge in Online eHealth Certificate Course: A Pretest-Posttest Study.'

AKDN eHRC Presents at the 10th Health Sciences Research Assembly 2016

In August, researchers from AKDN eHRC presented oral and poster presentations at the 10th Health Sciences Research Assembly (HSRA) 2016 held at the Aga Khan University (AKU), Karachi. The conference offered researchers an opportunity to disseminate and promote research-related work within the AKU community.

Rozina Karmaliani, Professor, School of Nursing and Midwifery, AKU, and Afroz Sajwani, Research Coordinator, AKDN eHRC, presented on the on-going impact evaluation study titled 'Impact Evaluation: Assessing the Effectiveness of Telepsychiatry Consultation Services in Gilgit- Baltistan and Chitral Districts of Pakistan'.

The presentation provided an overview of the study and concluded that the study will enable the implementers and collaborators to build on the strengths of the programme and to work to address the weaknesses. The study initiated in 2015 and is to be completed in 2017.

A poster presentation titled, ‘The Development and Validation of MNCH Clinical Observation Scale – An instrument to Assess Changes in the Clinical Skills of Healthcare Providers,’ was also made at HSRA. This poster discussed the process undertaken to develop and validate a Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) clinical observation scale. The poster concluded that the MNCH clinical observation scale is the first of its kind being developed specifically for the contexts of Afghanistan and Tajikistan. The tool shows promise and its reliability and construct validity is being established. Authors of the study include Afroz Sajwani, Sehrish Sajjad of AKDN eHRC, Azra Naseem, Assistant Director, Blended Learning, Aga Khan University and Audrey Juma, Director, Notre Dame Institute of Education.

Another poster titled, ‘Assessing Participants’ Knowledge in Online eHealth Certificate Course: A Pretest-Posttest Study,’ was also showcased at the assembly. The poster discussed a pretest-posttest study to assess the change in the level of participants’ knowledge as a result of the online eHealth course, developed by AKDN eHRC. The poster concluded that the average difference in the percentage of pre-posttests for all modules showed a 14.27 % increase in the level of participants’ knowledge. Authors of the study include AKDN eHRC staff members Afroz Sajwani, Sehrish Sajjad, Anam Feroz and Saleem Sayani.