The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented challenge that has provided the global community with an opportunity to adapt, innovate, create and collaborate. The pandemic knows no borders and global collaboration plays a very essential role in defeating COVID-19...
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The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented challenge that has provided the global community with an opportunity to adapt, innovate, create and collaborate. The pandemic knows no borders and global collaboration plays a very essential role in defeating COVID-19.
The AKDN dHRC is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic through multiple innovative initiatives and by refocusing some planned activities to ensure they are adapted to the pandemic context.
The Aga Khan University has been awarded a research grant of CAD 800,000 for the COVID-19 Innovation and Response Project (CIRP), a 2-year initiative led by Saleem Sayani, Director, AKDN dHRC. Under the research grant, funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC), CIRP proposes to explore the effectiveness of developing and scaling up three digital health innovations in strengthening health systems and improving access to care for at-risk populations in select geographies of six countries, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Syria, Kenya, and Tanzania. The project supports integration of the innovations in health systems fortified by partnership building with local and national health authorities of each of the countries of implementation.
Under CIRP, AKDN dHRC aims to undertake research on the following innovations:
Overall, the CIRP study will assess to what extent these three digital health innovations are effective, feasible, usable and sustainable within health systems in target geographies. The project is underpinned by the integration of the innovations in health systems through forging and maintaining public-private partnerships (PPPs) with local and national health authorities.
The CIRP was successfully launched through virtual workshops, conducted separately for each region, South-Central Asia, East Africa and Middle East, in September 2020.
Currently, AKDN dHRC is working on following innovations in response to the COVID-19 crisis:
WHO’s Situation Report reveals that as of November 10, 2020, the 2019 novel coronavirus has caused over 50.5 million confirmed cases and 1.2 million deaths worldwide. Globally, only a few healthcare systems are well-equipped to deal...
WHO’s Situation Report reveals that as of November 10, 2020, the 2019 novel coronavirus has caused over 50.5 million confirmed cases and 1.2 million deaths worldwide.1 Globally, only a few healthcare systems are well-equipped to deal with the massive number of infections, acutely ill patients as well as the population level anxiety related to both COVID-19 and the limitations put into place to contain its spread.2
In efforts to limit the spread of infections and reduce the footfall at the Aga Khan Development Network health facilities, AKDN dHRC designed, developed and launched CoronaCheck, an Android-based mobile application. The application consists of a self-assessment tool to help the general population safely screen themselves at home and is equipped with educational videos to enhance understanding of the COVID-19 virus.
The self-assessment tool is an interactive chatbot, which enables users to determine their risk of acquiring the disease based upon their responses regarding their symptoms and medical history. A counseling preface then guides the user to take appropriate physical distancing measures and guides the user to get tested when required or take appropriate physical distancing measures. The location of the nearest testing centre and a list of national helplines is provided. The self-assessment tool is adopted from the Alberta Health Services and converted by the Aga Khan University Hospital’s (AKUH) experts to meet the local context and the evolving epidemiology of the disease. The educational videos are sourced from the World Health Organization (WHO).
CoronaCheck was launched in April 2020 in Pakistan and received significant media coverage as the first of its kind digital self-screening application of the country. The launch was followed by implementation in Tanzania in May 2020, in Tajikistan in June 2020 and Kenya in August 2020. The application along with the self- assessment tool is translated into the local languages, i.e., Urdu for Pakistan, Swahili for East Africa and Tajik for Tajikistan, to help population gain a comprehensive understanding of the virus and methods to lower their risk of infection from an authentic source.
Till date, there have been 30,000+ application downloads, while 72,072 users have completed self-assessment on CoronaCheck. Self-assessment tool results reveal that 26.5% of those who attempted the survey were suggested to seek immediate medical care (Plan A), while 27.4% were advised to seek non-urgent care through teleconsultations, without visiting a health facility (Plan B) and 46% were advised to only take precautions and social distancing measures (Plan C). CoronaCheck was able to help prevent unnecessary hospital visits in 73.4% of the cases, curbing risk of spread, while also ensuring that diagnostic testing in health facilities are only availed by those need it most.
CoronaCheck, available on the Google Play Store, aims to strengthen existing health systems by addressing the need for rapid and early testing, screening and awareness raising during the pandemic. This leads to a considerable decrease in number of visits to health facilities, thereby ensuring critical resources such as testing kits and health workers’ time are allocated toward those most in need. Further plans are to launch the application in Afghanistan and Syria.
As countries across the globe enforce social distancing and self-isolation to fight the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, telemedicine plays a vital role in connecting physicians and other healthcare professionals ...
As countries across the globe enforce social distancing and self-isolation to fight the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, telemedicine plays a vital role in connecting physicians and other healthcare professionals with patients dealing with chronic clinical conditions1, minor ailments and/or the COVID-19. AKDN dHRC in collaboration with the Aga Khan Health Service, Pakistan (AKHS, P) developed and successfully launched Elaj Asan in Pakistan to serve as a platform to facilitate remote teleconsultation via telemedicine.
With the pandemic restricting movement worldwide and placing entire cities in quarantine, communities are left vulnerable to the growing stress of daily life, unexpected financial burden, communicable and non-communicable diseases and various mental health sequelae.2 The application serves as a patient to doctor teleconsultation platform, with video calling and online payment features, allowing patients to seamlessly schedule appointments, make payment, consult doctors, upload prescriptions and diagnostic reports and maintain their personal health record in the comfort of their home, safely and securely. The app also allows elderly patients, who may be limited to travel due to illness and those experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, to consult physicians from home.
The application allows teleconsultations to be conducted through data services available on mobile phones, instead of computer-based teleconsultations, which require internet connectivity.
Elaj Asan, meaning ‘treatment made easy’ in the local Urdu language, is a patient-centered, integrated solution, which generates and manages patient specific records related to prescriptions, radiology and laboratory tests and treatment plans while also ensuring privacy and transparency.
Currently, services through the app allow patients to schedule appointments with doctors available at one of three AKHS, P facilities (Aga Khan Medical Centre in Gilgit; Aga Khan Family Health Centre in Karimabad; and the Aga Khan Family Health Centre in Garden in Karachi).
Plans are to add more AKHS, P facilities in the first quarter of 2021 while a similar version of the application is launched in Kenya and Tanzania.
The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the vulnerability of health systems around the world, highlighting the global shortage of ventilators...
The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the vulnerability of health systems around the world, highlighting the global shortage of ventilators and Intensive Care Units (ICUs) beds in health facilities. As the pandemic spreads further, ICUs and ICU staff across the world are becoming physically, materially and emotionally challenged due to the influx of patients.
To respond to the shortage, AKDN dHRC in collaboration with AKU and the Aga Khan Health Service, Pakistan (AKHS, P) has helped launch the first of its kind COVID Tele-ICU. The Tele-ICU services connect the Aga Khan Medical Centre, Gilgit and the Aga Khan Medical Centre, Booni as spoke sites with the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi (AKUH, K) as the hub facility for live teleconsultation services from the ICU. The service allows COVID-19 patients in the ICU to receive live online assessments and consultations from specialist clinicians and practitioners at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi. This allows bedside staff to provide improved critical care aligned with best practices, under guidance from ICU specialists at a distance.
AKDN dHRC has helped provide the technology platform for the initiative while clinical expertise and clinical training and monitoring support has been provided by Dr Asad Latif, Chair, Department of Anesthesiology, AKU and Dr Adil Haider, Dean, Medical College, AKU.
AKU’s Tele-ICU serves as a hybrid model of care to support high-intensity on-site care and bridge the resource gap using the telemedicine.
Learn more about AKU’s Tele-ICU here.
AKDN dHRC’s Contributions to the Knowledge Society: In efforts to improve health outcomes for rural and marginalized communities, AKDN dHRC commits itself to research and contributing to the existing body of knowledge in digital health. Recently, AKDN dHRC authored and co-authored multiple publications...
In efforts to improve health outcomes for rural and marginalized communities, AKDN dHRC commits itself to research and contributing to the existing body of knowledge in digital health. Recently, AKDN dHRC authored and co-authored multiple publications, as listed below:
There is limited evidence regarding telehealth’s economic benefits for patients living in areas where access and cost present major barriers to health care, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This study explores the economic benefits of telemedicine for patients, in terms of cost and times savings, and its potential role in improving chronic disease outcomes.
The article discusses the role of blended teaching improving knowledge, skills, and self-efficacy for clinicians practicing in the oncology departments at four hospitals in Kenya and Tanzania. The four-month long study suggests that Advanced oncology practitioners can play an important role in assessing, designing, and implementing similar training courses in other of oncology, such as survivorship, and palliative care, subsequent improvement in knowledge and skill sets could ultimately improve patient outcomes.
The study explores the role of mobile consultation in addressing the gaps in access to quality healthcare for underprivileged marginalised communities residing in of low- and middle-income countries.
The study describes the qualitative experiences of frontline health staff and district managers with an android based mobile application. The mobile application developed under the study aims to improve the coverage of routine childhood immunization in an underserved rural district in Pakistan.
The study discusses a year-long online course on e-Health, designed by AKDN dHRC. The online course was crafted to provide basic understanding of e-Health and its implementation in developing countries. The study used mixed methods design to determine change in knowledge and student’s satisfaction from the course.
The study evaluates the effectiveness of locally designed 5-min movies rolled out using a mobile application, in order of relevance that are thematically delivered in a 3-month program to deliver post-stroke education to stroke survivor and caregiver dyads returning to the community.
The role of socioeconomic status (SES) in explaining racial/ethnic disparities in diabetes remains unclear. The study investigates disparities in self-reported diabetes complications, and the role of macro (e.g., income, education) and micro (e.g., ‘owning a home’ or ‘having a checking account’) SES indicators in explaining these differences.
To encourage the increased adoption of digital health wearables among elderly diabetic patients in Bangladesh, the study investigates the factors influencing the existing elderly users’ continuance intention to use this technology. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) has been used here as a theoretical basis. A model using structural equation modelling was developed for the elderly diabetic patients’ continuance intention to use digital health wearables.
In this scoping review, studies about digital health tools are summarized in relation to key affordances: social, cognitive, identity, emotional, and functional, to understand howthese affordances may assist clinicians and researchers achieve the goal of using digital health technology to enhance services for Adolescents and young adults.
The Review aims to capture the scope of digital health innovations for the public health response to COVID-19 worldwide; its limitations; and challenges to the implementation. The public health is increasingly becoming digital, the review emphasise on the need for the alignment of international strategies for the regulation, evaluation and use of digital technologies to strengthen pandemic management, and future preparedness for the scurrent and other infectious diseases.
The review concludes that the Industry 4.0 can fulfil the requirements of customised face masks, gloves, and collect information for healthcare systems for proper controlling and treating of COVID-19 patients and could provide a lot of innovative ideas and solution for fighting local and global medical emergencies.
The article describes the development of an an accessible application, the COVID-19 Genotyping Tool (CGT), which aims summarise publicly available viral genome data are scarce and analyse in-house sequencing data.
The view point presents the Digital Health Equity Framework, which can be used to consider health equity factors. Along with person-centered care, digital health equity should be incorporated into health provider training and should be championed at the individual, institutional, and social levels. Important future directions will be to develop measurement-based approaches to digital health equity and to use these findings to further validate and refine this model.
The article sheds light on the increased disparities in healthcare access and outcomes, despite advancements and role of pandemic. moreover, the article suggests that efforts should be made to address the complexity of social and health issues that contribute to accessibility and adoption of health-related technologies, before the benefits can be realized to the fullest extent in all populations.
The use of telehealth during the global pandemic crises increased substantially, the potential of digital health to enhance accessibilty and quality of mental health services is becomingevident. Increased investments in digital health today will yield unprecedented access to high-quality mental health care. The study explores the the success of telehealth during the pandemic.
The article identifies barriers and facilitators to Home Online Health Consultation systems, their effectiveness, and patients’ satisfaction by proposing a framework.
As a response to the ongoing public health emergency, an online interactive dashboard was developed to visualise and track reported cases of coronavirus disease 2019
Digital Health Digest 17 | 2020