The Vodafone Foundation and the United Nations Foundation released a new
report on innovative uses of mobile technology by NGOs working to
achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals. The report identifies
emerging trends in "mobile activism" through 11 case studies, and
highlights the results of a global survey of NGO usage of mobile technology.
Here's a taste of some of the findings from three of the case studies:
Cell-Life, a non-governmental organization based in Cape Town, South
Africa, created its "Aftercare" program to work with the public health
system and its health workers to provide home-based care for HIV/AIDS
patients receiving Anti-Retroviral Treatments.
Each Aftercare worker is assigned to monitor 15 to 20 patients. The
worker visits the patient in his or her home, and in a one on one
session discusses the patient's current treatment. Using their mobile
phones for data capture,
Aftercare workers record information about patient medical status, drug
adherence, and other factors that may affect a patient's ART therapy.
Aftercare workers then relay this information via text message to a
central Cell-Life database.
The data sent via text message reaches the Cell-Life server, where a
care manager uses a web-based system to access and monitor the incoming
patient information.
The manager can also respond to Aftercare workers'
questions and provide supplemental information to improve patient care.
The information collected not only facilitates individual patient care,
but is also used to build a database of information on the severity and
prevalence of the South African AIDS epidemic in these regions.
MORE: http://www.undispatch.com/archives/2008/05/mobile_phones_f.php
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