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Kenya eHealth Initiative: An Overview |
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The Kenya eHealth Initiative began in September 2004, and has been supported by ISHED, The (UK) NHS Information Authority and CISCO Philanthropy. The purpose of this development stage was to investigate the potential benefits of using an online diagnostic and knowledge management tool for rural dispensaries and health centres in Kenya.
The Initiative has also been investigating what content and infrastructure will be needed to offer the best support for Kenyan clinicians. The development phase of the project demonstrated that this tool had many potential benefits for the community of Kenyan health workers and for the health of the greater Kenyan community. But, this phase also showed that greater improvements in health and community development could be strengthened with greater support and investment in ICT that is integrated with the current online technologies and with future projects.
Like many developing countries, Kenya’s poverty impacts on health, which impacts on poverty, and there have been any non-government and government initiatives to address both. But there has been little integration of these initiatives or attention paid to the benefits of a scalable wireless communications infrastructure to deliver benefits. The Kenya eHealth programme integrates the work of existing efforts, addresses content and cultural change issues and offers a scalable programme for capacity building of the healthcare sector in Kenya using innovative solutions.
The objectives of the Kenya eHealth Initiative are to:
- adapt the content of a highly useful clinical diagnostic aid1 already widely available and used in industrialized countries for use in Kenya and East Africa;
- extend proven use of handheld devices for healthcare as a tool for knowledge management and continuing professional development (CPD) in hospitals, and in rural health centres;
- demonstrate cost-effectiveness of sustainable eHealth solutions and software for hospitals in East Africa;
- demonstrate benefits of wireless networks within Kijabe Hospital to handheld devices;
- demonstrate wireless connectivity between health facilities;
- Kenya National Steering Committee for Continuing Professiona Development is set to support testing of diagnostic aids, use of PDAs and use of wireless infrastructure to support CPD initiatives, including those being developed by AMREF;
- to integrate with and complement related existing programmes of Afri Afya established to harness ICT for community health in Kenya and the World Health Organization (with its Health Academy) to provide eLearning for health4, particularly for communities that now have connectivity.
The Kenya eHealth Programme is established to emphasize a sustainable, locally owned and managed eCapacity Building System that meets identified needs for the region. The programme has involved extensive testing locally as well as needs assessment and will be integrated into existing systems in cooperation with local governmental and nongovernmental organizations in a manner that will maximize the use of existing infrastructure, meet well identified needs and objectives, and serve as a model that is replicable and scalable not only in Kenya but in other parts of Africa and in low-resource settings.
This initiative will provide for the first time a unique means for Kenyan clinicians to have access to the best information internationally, tailored to local needs and to organize clinical data in a manner never before possible. The programme further makes this valuable information system user friendly, culturally acceptable and available actually at the point of care to facilitate optimal clinical care using both international best practice and local wisdom and experience.
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PhD Confirmation Seminar: MH in Ethiopia |
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Written by Administrator
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Presentation at Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus
Topic: The future direction of mental health in Ethiopia: traditional medicine, explanatory models of illness,
and health seeking behavior
Brief Outline: Neurological, psychiatric and developmental disorders exact a profound economic and personal toll worldwide, yet public and private health care systems, particularly in developing countries, have paid little attention to them. Today, growing recognition of the prevalence of these disorders and the availability of prevention strategies and cost effective treatment make it both important and possible to substantially reduce their impact, even where resources are limited (World Health Organization 2002).
Little is known about mental health in Ethiopia, especially in regards to traditional medicine which accounts for over 85% of mental health services. The study has been directed at investigating what traditional medicine involves in regards to mental health, and if this system could be incorporated into nationalized health care.
The study will take place over a three year period and will involve investigating explanatory models of mental illness, health seeking behavior, and traditional medicine. It is the researchers desire that this study sheds some light on an otherwise overlooked issue in Ethiopia and in developing countries in general, and that the Ethiopian Ministry of Health can use this research to improve mental heath service delivery. Thus the intended outcome is not just the completion of a PHD, but an impetus for change in mental health in Ethiopia.
Supervisors: Professor Donald Stewart: Head, School of Public Health, Griffith University
Professor Harry McConnell, School of Medicine, Griffith University
Time: 10.15am to 11.00am
Date: Wednesday, 25 February 2009
Venue: Building G30 (Arts & Education 1) Room 1.17
Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus
Parklands Drive, Southport |
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Leadership in Global Health Technology (LIGHT)
Established following a comprehensive review of international eHealth Policies, Leadership in Global Health Technology (LIGHT) focuses on educational workshops and summits on Health IT Infrastructure. This has included a series of high level policy consultations on National and Global Strategies for Health Information and Education Infrastructure. Participants have included Ministers of Health, Policy and Thought Leaders in Health Information Infrastructure, and representatives of WHO and other international organizations. These often have both an online and onsite component and have resulted in several important publications outlining best practice in implementing National Health Information Infrastructure. The goals of the Initiative are to:
- promote dialogue in best practice and lessons learned in establishing IT infrastructures for health information and medical education,
- encourage collaborative efforts amongst nations in implanting such programmes, and
- the creation of an online forum, educational seminars and academic publications setting out the main conclusions of these dialogues. Other NGOs involved in some of these consultations have included the eHealth Initiative, the International Hospital Federation, the International eHealth Association, and other key global health and eHealth initiatives.
The LIGHT initiative was initiated following a comprehensive review of eHealth National Policies at the International eHealth Associations annual conference, eHealth 2003, in London. Following from this the initiative was launched at the International Hospital Federation (IHF) regional conference in Dubai coinciding with the 75th Anniversary issue of the World Hospitals and Health Services Journal. Since its launch there have been several further related events, including:
- Geneva, with the International eHealth Association (IeHA) and the eHealth Initiative (eHI) alongside the World Health Assembly;
- Berlin, at the International Hospital Federation and European Hospital Association Congress;
- USA, at both the Healthcare Information and Management Systems (HIMSS) Conference and Exhibition and alongside eHI’s ‘HIT’ Congress;
- London, at IeHA’s eHealth 2004 and eHealth 2005 held in September;
- Mexico, in association with the Global Health Research Forum 8;
- Kiribati, at the Internet Society ISOC Regional conference in August 2005.
- Colombo, in March 2006
You can read more about LIGHT and its work by navigating through the pages below:
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Written by Administrator
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Thursday, 18 September 2008 17:07 |
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Welcome to AHEAD! The website is currently being built and we are adding content every day. Expect to see major site changes in coming weeks... |
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The Academy for Health Equity and Disability (AHEAD) is a not-for-profit health and disability training and education organisation based in Australia. Working closely with the UK non-profit organization, the Interactive Health Network (IHN), AHEAD draws from IHN’s extensive experience with innovative technologies and eLearning expertise. AHEAD promotes excellence in leadership, international health and education directed towards developing country priorities. AHEAD is committed to addressing health inequities and the provision of health care to those in greatest need, through the application of online technologies as a tool for health worker communication and capacity building.
Our Mission is to support capacity development and knowledge generation of health and disability workers in developing countries through online technologies, training and networks.
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