Improving quality and affordability of healthcare in Africa through an eHealth package

Key to a successful use of eHealth is that it should lead to a lasting and substantial improvement of performance. Experience learns that a participatory design approach is required when using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) when designing health solutions This creates a momentum of change. However, health facilities are often complex organisations and we learned that to create continuous and lasting change, explicit attention is required to the ongoing process of organisational change. The momentum of change should be transformed in a pathway. IICD and its partners in Tanzania developed a practical and integrated approach that scaffolds health management information systems, telemedicine and e-learning in one integrated approach called the eHealth package, which has relevance world wide. Author: Nic Moens

Description:
Key to a successful use of eHealth is that it should lead to a lasting and substantial improvement of performance. Experience learns that a participatory design approach is required when using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) when designing health solutions This creates a momentum of change. However, health facilities are often complex organisations and we learned that to create continuous and lasting change, explicit attention is required to the ongoing process of organisational change. The momentum of change should be transformed in a pathway. IICD and its partners in Tanzania developed a practical and integrated approach that scaffolds health management information systems, telemedicine and e-learning in one integrated approach called the eHealth package, which has relevance world wide. Author: Nic Moens

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The eHealth package is applied in the Lake Zone in Tanzania. It is embedded in a district approach to ensure a more conducive institutional and financial setting. Organisational and institutional issues proved to be key obstacles in applying ICT in health. Therefore the district approach is closely related to the national eHealth strategy. The strength of the eHealth package compared to other eHealth solutions is the integration of all aspects; technical, medical, financial, learning, behavioural change etc. in a flexible road map of best practices for eHealth implementation at a health facility.

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