“SMS BASED, PATIENT

REFERRAL SYSTEM”

Enock Rukundo

Project Stretch goal

Kigali Health Institute (KHI)

Kigali, Rwanda 

Project Background…short story!

Purpose driven goal…)

My poor Dad received 6 different medical transfers

From the HCTo the District Hospital Then Provincial HospitalTo the Military Hospital The Referral HospitalTo the High-level Private Hospital (Rich..)And finally to the Military Hospital again (Mutual de Santé support laboratory exams).

Problem Statement...

Under Construction…..

• Referrer data

• Rwandan Government Priorities

Anticipated Solution Architecture...

Critical steps:

• Sender submits an sms with patient case details; structured format: ID patient no, content

• The filter application makes verification actions i.e format rules

• The intermediary filter application re-shapes text sms’s into readable web based or emails formats and sent to the operator/moderator.

• Moderator reads case details and decides the final decision or which specialist(s) most appropriate to the case in question

• An automatic email sent to the specialist or sender

• Specialists logs in the server, reads the case history and provides a response to the moderator and the sender

• Referrer reads response from the operator/moderator

• The referrer reports action being taken (transfer details)

Work-in-Progress…

Critical Control Factors:

• Field workers trained

• Professional buy-in

• Efficient moderator/playing a vital role/important factor

• Organizational set-up

• Create specific interests for the cause

• Impact measurements for the patient and health facilities (hospitals) /demonstration of specific community interests

Work-in-Progress…

Benefits:

• First and foremost this referral system is a network of people who trust each other and want to collaborate, capacity building and social engineering are thus very important.

• Improve access to health care;

• Enhance the quality of service delivery;

• Improve the effectiveness of public health and primary care interventions;

• Improve the global shortage of health professionals through collaboration and training