Software Innovation

Our technological innovation revolves around modifying FrontlineSMS, an open-source, free SMS client, into a new open-source software package for healthcare applications in the developing world. This package, called FrontlineSMS:Medic, will perform three essential functions: 1) Patient-centric forms view in FrontlineSMS  2) Integration with open source medical records system OpenMRS  3) CellLab.

Patient View, a module within FrontlineSMS: We will develop a new user interface module within FrontlineSMS which will organize forms sent in from mobile phones, and create one screen where staff at a central computer can view all data relevant to an individual patient.  Clinicians will also be able to update and add new records from the central computer. This feature's simplicity is particularly important for small, grass roots clinics and NGOs.

OpenMRS Port: We are developing a software patch to allow patient information to flow from forms on mobile phones, to FrontlineSMS, to an enterprise medical records system called OpenMRs. OpenMRS is an open-source, free software package developed by Partners in Health and the Regenstrief Institute to implement electronic medical records in developing countries. Currently most CHWs must carry paper records long distances to data managers at central locations.  This patch through FrontlineSMS will vastly increase the access and usage of electronic medical records by community health workers, with correspondent health improvements.

Cell Lab: Using the source code of FrontlineSMS’s forthcoming MMS release, we will develop a module called Cell Lab that supports the LUCAS cellular imaging technique currently being developed by the Ozcan lab at UCLA. LUCAS is a new imaging technique which allows intracellular “holograph” images of cells to be taken with simply the CCD chip ubiquitous in most cameraphones. These handsets cost as little as $10. Using this technique and the Cell Lab software, we will be able to dramatically reduce the cost of basic diagnostics such as Complete Blood Count, diagnosis of Malaria and TB, and CD4 T Lymphocyte count to under $1 per test. These diagnoses will be seamlessly integrated into the overall Electronic Medical Records system via integration with OpenMRS.

Implementation

(1) The current software build will be making an impact for many rural healthcare providers and their patients. (2) We will have strong community partners in a large number of countries to use for testing FrontlineSMS:Medic innovations, and (3) We are planning a large-scale randomized, controlled trial in Bangladesh to assess the impact of our mobile health technologies on health outcomes.

In addition:

What else have you done in this area? 

Mobiles in Malawi: Using a donated laptop, 100 recycled cell phones, and a copy of FrontlineSMS, Josh Nesbit set up an SMS-based communications network for a rural hospital and its Community Health Workers (CHWs). The network allows the hospital to respond to requests for emergency medical care, track patients, record HIV and TB drug adherence, stay updated on patient status, mobilize remote communities for outreach testing, provide instant drug dosage/usage information, and connect HIV/AIDS support group members.

Our board of advisors includes Ken Banks, the founder of FrontlineSMS, and Paul Biondich, a co-founder of OpenMRS. Our team includes several Stanford medical students, a co-founder of an N2Y3 featured project, and a co-founder of CoPress, an initiative to build a better technical ecosystem for student news organizations. The FrontlineSMS:Medic project evolved from various other projects, including MobilizeMRS, a finalist in the Netsquared/USAID 2.0 development challenge.

Location