Taking control of patient administration and treatment management.
In 2009, Hi-Tech Security Solutions spoke to iNathi Technologies’ Steve Fitzpatrick about the company’s primary health care system – iNathi SysCare. Almost 18 months down the line, the system has undergone a number of enhancements and is gaining a growing and enthusiastic client base.
Fitzpatrick said that the road has had its fair share of bumps and potholes, but is slowly smoothing out and heading in the right direction. “Our primary aim right now is to gain buy-in from our own government. Rightly so, they are cautious and wary about endorsing new technology and systems as they have had their fingers burned in the past. We are optimistic, however, that once they see the tangible benefits the system is providing to our established client base, they will come on board.
“In developing countries a streamlined, cost effective, all-in-one primary healthcare solution is greatly needed, specifically one that takes into account the unique conditions and challenges in the environment in which the solution is to be implemented,” he said.
iNathi SysCare allows live information on both a patient and facility level to be gathered and utilised, thus serving as both a data collection and patient management system.
In developing countries, Primary Health Care interactions occur mostly in nurse-driven public primary health care-style models offered by governments and other large institutions, for example, mining companies. “iNathi SysCare has been developed specifically for this context. Unlike hospital management systems which are aimed at integrating specific, higher-level health interventions, or practice-management systems which are geared towards private health care practices, iNathi SysCare is designed to be deployed and integrated into the Public Primary Health Care-style facility process, and enables data to be captured live, by the very people giving the health care.
“This kind of on-the-ground access allows for even small impacts at patient and facility level to occur – like reducing unnecessary duplication of tests due to availability of last results, better patient management leading to better outcomes, reminders leading to better adherence and improved stock management leading to less waste.”
Growing in popularity
Fitzpatrick said that the West Rand district municipalities have passionately embraced the benefits of iNathi SysCare. “We currently have 200 000 patients registered on the system and the feedback has been very encouraging, with health workers freely endorsing the increased reliability of record keeping and data capture. They cite improved stock holding of medication and improved functionality as tangible benefits.
“In addition to the system’s increasing acceptance as a vital tool in primary health care data management, we have seen a growing interest being exhibited by the business sector in terms of wellness programme adoption within the occupational health arena.”
Large project in Mozambique
In its largest installation to date, iNathi Technologies is putting the finishing touches to its project at the Manhiça Health Research Centre (CISM), 80 km north of Maputo in Southern Mozambique. CISM is a joint and collaborative programme between the Mozambican Ministry of Health, the Eduardo Mondlane Faculty of Medicine and the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona.
“CISM is closely linked to the Manhiça District Hospital and supports all areas of medical care, their ultimate focus being in the research fields of demographic and healthcare data. Demographic data of individuals in the designated area of study – containing six clinics and one hospital, while catering for a population of at least 80 000 – is collected bi-annually. This data is then collated with the demographic data and may be used for research or planning purposes,” Fitzpatrick explained.
Mobile technology was introduced to assist with the integration of the demographic and morbidity surveillance systems.
“The project, which will include the capturing of data for over 200 000 patients, entails embracing mobile technologies such as the Cogent Ident III, a handheld device, which will immensely improve service delivery to the community of Manhiça and which can also eventually be used in the rest of the continent,” said Fitzpatrick.
The mobile device used by iNathi has an extremely long battery life and is capable of capturing fingerprints and photographs; capturing GPS coordinates; working on wireless communication; reading barcodes; and capturing and storing information.
What is new?
Fitzpatrick pointed out that the biggest enhancement to the system has been the migration to an Oracle platform. “This is an industry standard in database management and is the one specified by government.
“In addition, we have improved the disease management functionality; increased the reporting capabilities; integrated data on mother to baby transmission prevention; made the system more user friendly; and ensured that the system complies with primary health care standards and regulations.”
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