Our Projects

Interactive, Structured, Multi-modal Clinical Guidelines to Improve Quality of Care by Rural Healthcare Providers in India

This project was designed with the objective of enhancing and standardizing RHPs' quality of care through use of disease management guidelines/protocols available on a user friendly mobile phone platform. It was implemented as a collaborative effort with our partner NGO, GCDWS. We used a system called GuideView to develop the multi-modal 'how-to' advice for performing simple procedures in a step by step way. We adapted WHO's existing protocols to local conditions. We then field tested the Guidevues developed through this system on 16 RHPs from two different parts of rural Tamil Nadum in southern India. Half the RHPs were assigned to an experimental group and the other half to a control group.

Overall mean protocol compliance of the experimental group (57.21%) was higher than that of the control group (52.70%). An overwhelming majority of the RHPs found the system useful and usable. There was a high level of patient acceptance for the system and the majority did not think that it interfered with the treatment process. We conclude that mobile phone based GVs have significant potential for scaling up in underserved rural areas with different types of frontline health workers.

Project - Factsheet Information

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Project - Photo Gallery

 

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Assessing an adult patient with the Guidevue	Dr Regi George, founder of THI with Dr. Sriram, outside THI's outreach	Dr Sriram assists Ambika, a health worker at THI, with the Guidevue
Dr Sriram trying on a wrist band....they did not find it convenient!!	RHP Ruben arrives at a village home during his daily round of neighbouring villages	Assessing a child patient
THI health workers outside THI's outreach clinic in Kalrayan Hills	lunch break during fieldwork	Meenakshi and Anshi go through the Guidevues with Ambika in the THI hospital campus
An English version screen of the Guidevue	A step for assessment for dehydration during diarrhea	Another dehydration assessment screen
Assessment of breathing difficulty with a video clip	Meenakshi Gautham orienting RHPs in Tirupattur.	Anshi does a demo for an RHP during the orientation
Training Jan 2011	Training Jan 2011	Training Jan 2011. From left to right: Dr Rajesh Singh, Dr S. Srinivasan and Dr. K M Shyamprasan
Training Jan 2011. RHPs from Tirupattur	Training Jan 2011. RHPs from Sittilingi and Tirupattur, with Rajkumari (4th from right)	RHPs with their new phones at the start of the training. Jan 2011
A young 'geek' provides technical assistance	Training Jan 2011	Dr Srinivasan explains 'on demand' to a small group of RHPs
Dr Srinivasan explains to RHPs from Sittilingi. Dr Regi George, founder of THI hospital.	Dr Shyamprasan demonstrating a novel improvisation during the training.	Mother and child at the training.
We had to find ways to keep junior busy while mom was busy learning!	Training Jan 2011	Lunch break during the training.
"I can eat by myself"!!
RHP Rajadurai uses the phone to assess a child patient in his village clinic near Thirupattur	RHP Rajadurai uses the phone to assess an adult patient in his village clinic	RHP Ruben uses the phone application during a home visit
Assessing a child patient with the mobile application	Outside the OPD, THI Hospital in Sittilingi	Inside THI Hospital