BackgroundIn resource-poor countries access to essential medicines, suboptimal prescribing and use of medicines are major problems. Health workers lack updated medical information and treatment support. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) could help tackle this. The impact of ICT on health systems in resource-poor countries is likely to be significant and transform the practice of medicine just as in high-income countries. However, research for finding the best way of doing this is needed. We aimed to assess current approaches to and use of ICT among health workers in two rural districts of Tanzania in relation to the current drug distribution practices, drug stock and continuing medical information (CME), as well as assessing the feasibility of using ICT to improve ordering and use of medicines.MethodsThis pilot study was conducted in 2010–2011, mapping the drug distribution chain in Tanzania, including problems and barriers. The study was conducted in Bunda and Serengeti districts, both part of the ICT4RD (ICT for rural development) project. Health workers involved in drug procurement and use at 13 health facilities were interviewed on use and knowledge of ICT, and their attitudes to its use in their daily work. They were also shown and interviewed about their thoughts on an android tablet application prototype for drug stock inventory and drug ordering, based on the Tanzanian Medical Stores Department (MSD) current paper forms.ResultsThe main challenge was a stable supply of essential medicines. Drug supplies were often delayed and incomplete, resulting in stock-outs. All 20 interviewed health workers used mobile phones, 8 of them Smartphones with Internet connection. The Health workers were very positive to the tablet application and saw its potential in reducing drug stock-outs. They also expressed a great need and wish for CME by distance.ConclusionThe tablet application was easily used and appreciated by health workers, and thus has the potential to save time and effort, reduce transportation costs and minimise drug stock-outs. Furthermore, the android tablet could be used to reach out with CME programs to health care workers at remote health facilities, as well as those in towns.
e-Science is a pioneering method that uses integrated collections of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), or e-Infrastructures, to enable scientists across the world to collaboratively work on more and more ambitious projects. Have advances and access to ICTs enabled African e-Infrastructure development? This paper aims to understand the current state of e-Infrastructure uptake in Africa and present some of these initiatives across the African continent by exploring the current landscape emerging from a survey of early consumers. These initiatives are discussed in terms of key projects and user communities that they are addressing. In line with wider perceptions that e-Infrastructures will re-shape the ways research is performed, this study yielded 34 current or planned e-Infrastructure projects across 13 African countries addressing a range of research domains, and identified 7 user communities across these disciplines. Our findings suggest that the African research community is increasingly interested and involved in e-Infrastructure development activities in response to the issue of limited access to dedicated global research and education resources. The study can contribute to the ongoing discussion on how e-Infrastructures can positively promote the research, technological development and innovation potential of developing countries.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.