The continent of Africa is an untapped data mine. In healthcare especially, there is an endless gap between the amount of population data that is not accounted for, and the benefits of collating, analysing and utilising such data to generate valuable epidemiological data. Some of the most significant contributing factors are shoddy and archaic methods of documenting patient’s symptoms, laboratory reports, diagnoses, prognoses, therapies and outcomes.
Most advanced healthcare systems pivoted into the world of Electronic Health/Medical Records (EHR/EMR) many decades ago, for a plethora of reasons which benefit healthcare professionals, patients and health systems at large. There is a need for continuous collection of population health data in Nigeria, so we can better understand health outcomes of specific groups of people, communities, or ethnic groups.This ultimately leads to greater personalization of care, and the possibility of pivoting from addressing health issues reactively to preventatively.
‘Big data’ analytics and aggregated patient data may be able to alert providers to larger health trends such as potential outbreaks of diseases such as cholera, typhoid, ebola, and the dreaded COVID-19.
Here are two Nigerian companies who have delved into the world of Electronic Health Records, in an attempt initiate the transition from paper-based systems-
Helium Health:
This company backed by Ycombinator has set out on an ambitious journey to ‘accelerate Africas’s transition into a tech-driven healthcare system’. Helium Health provides health providers with a range of technology solutions for efficient documentation, storage and management of EMRs and financial management through the Helium Pay and Helium Credit product. Helium Health also developed a very intuitive Emergency Response System for disease surveillance during the COVID-19 pandemic. This system facilitates many aspects of the life cycle of disease outbreaks, from triage, scheduling, lab and bed management, to isolation centre monitoring, remote case monitoring, communication alerts, etc. This company is run by a dynamic and young team of innovators.
Read also: One in five health workers fully vaccinated in low-income countries
Hyella EHR:
This Abuja-based company also uses technology to support healthcare providers in managing EMR/EHR, accounting, human resources, procurement and inventory management. The goal at Hyella is to provide efficient and robust tools to deliver world-class patient care from managing patient flow to prescriptions. The Hyella EHR software, and other Hyella apps allow for a centralised and real-time access to patient information at the point of care, generation and analysis of reports. Hyella also provides clinical decision support capabilities for identifying drug interactions with the use of the ICD10 database.
The challenge undertaken by Helium Health and Hyella Health is extensive and the scope is very wide. Decades of poor data quality and inconsistencies in data reporting methods need to be unravelled- this task is astronomical, and expensive. There is a need for an overhaul of the whole health system, by creating a centralised, intuitive, functional automated health data management system across all public and private primary and tertiary healthcare institutions. A strong health informatics system is one of the six building blocks identified by the World Health Organisation to strengthen and improve a developing national health system.
On a lighter note, doctors are notorious for having illegible handwritings; and until the right technological systems to maintain Electronic Health Records are adopted, patients and pharmacists will continue to face the frustrations that come from having to decode illegible prescription scripts. Access to more advanced electronic methods of documenting patient data ultimately reduces the risk of medication/prescription errors. In turn, doctors are spared the time and effort it takes to handwrite consultation notes; time and effort that could be placed in carrying out more executive tasks and activities.
Disclaimer: Please note that this article is not a paid advertisement, neither are the above companies listed in any particular order.
