Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29942632›Full record

ArticleDigital health

Digital health technologies to support access to medicines and pharmaceutical services in the achievement of sustainable development goals.

Niranjan Konduri, Francis Aboagye-Nyame, David Mabirizi, Kim Hoppenworth, Mohammad Golam Kibria, Seydou Doumbia, Lucilo Williams, Greatjoy Mazibuko

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Digital health. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
12citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Niranjan KonduriUSAID/SIAPS Program, Pharmaceuticals and Health Technologies Group, Management Sciences for Health, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-6828-1182
Francis Aboagye-NyameUSAID/SIAPS Program, Pharmaceuticals and Health Technologies Group, Management Sciences for Health, USA.
David MabiriziUSAID/SIAPS Program, Pharmaceuticals and Health Technologies Group, Management Sciences for Health, USA.
Kim HoppenworthUSAID/UHSC Program, Pharmaceuticals and Health Technologies Group, Management Sciences for Health, Uganda.
Mohammad Golam KibriaUSAID/SIAPS Program, Pharmaceuticals and Health Technologies Group, Management Sciences for Health, Bangladesh.
Seydou DoumbiaUSAID/SIAPS Program, Pharmaceuticals and Health Technologies Group, Management Sciences for Health, USA.
Lucilo WilliamsUSAID/SIAPS Program, Pharmaceuticals and Health Technologies Group, Management Sciences for Health, Mozambique.
Greatjoy MazibukoUSAID/SIAPS Program, Pharmaceuticals and Health Technologies Group, Management Sciences for Health, Namibia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesThe objective of this study was to describe the conceptual and implementation approach of selected digital health technologies that were tailored in various resource-constrained countries. To provide insights from a donor-funded project implementer perspective on the practical aspects based on local context and recommendations on future directions.

methodsDrawing from our multi-year institutional experience in more than 20 high disease-burden countries that aspire to meet the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3, we screened internal project documentation on various digital health tools that provide clarity in the conceptual and implementation approach. Taking into account geographic diversity, we provide a descriptive review of five selected case studies from Bangladesh (Asia), Mali (Francophone Africa), Uganda (East Africa), Mozambique (Lusophone Africa), and Namibia (Southern Africa).

findingsA key lesson learned is to harness and build on existing governance structures. The use of data for decision-making at all levels needs to be cultivated and sustained through multi-stakeholder partnerships. The next phase of information management development is to build systems for triangulation of data from patients, commodities, geomapping, and other parameters of the pharmaceutical system. A well-defined research agenda must be developed to determine the effectiveness of the country- and regional-level dashboards as an early warning system to mitigate stock-outs and wastage of medicines and commodities.

conclusionThe level of engagement with users and stakeholders was resource-intensive and required an iterative process to ensure successful implementation. Ensuring user acceptance, ownership, and a culture of data use for decision-making takes time and effort to build human resource capacity. For future United Nations voluntary national reviews, countries and global stakeholders must establish appropriate measurement frameworks to enable the compilation of disaggregated data on Sustainable Development Goal 3 indicators as a precondition to fully realize the potential of digital health technologies.

Indexed as

Access to medicinesdecision-makingdigital healtheHealthlow- and middle-income countries

Identifiers

PMID29942632
PMCPMC6016570

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.