Smartphone technology combat child deaths in conflict area

A new technology from the International Committee of the Red Cross will allow health care workers use smartphones and tablets to improve diagnosis and drug prescriptions for children aged under five. The technology will provide standardised procedures for managing common medical issues, and at same time collect data that can provide information for epidemiological surveillance. […]

A new technology from the International Committee of the Red Cross will allow health care workers use smartphones and tablets to improve diagnosis and drug prescriptions for children aged under five.

The technology will provide standardised procedures for managing common medical issues, and at same time collect data that can provide information for epidemiological surveillance.

“This new smartphone-age tool could become an essential and valuable part of ensuring a successful medical diagnosis and treatment plan for children in Nigeria,” said Dr. Hashemi Said Padshah, who coordinates the ICRC’s health activities in Nigeria.

The project—developed with joint work ICRC, the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) and Adamawa state Primary Health Care Agency—will be piloted by medical workers in some seven primary health facilities supported by ICRC in Adamawa.

It is called the ALgorithm for the MANAgement of CHildhood illnesses (ALMANACH), an upgraded electronic version of the IMCI (Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses), an initiative that focuses both on curative care and the prevention of disease.

“Given the ICRC’s work in war-torn countries, we have seen that a lack of appropriately trained health workers and diagnostic tools harms the quality of health care delivered to children under five years. Thanks to the use of ALMANACH, health workers can better diagnose diseases and prescribe appropriate medication,” Padshah added.