Information engineers from the University of Oslo are developing a new medical data system for regions with no electricity and low literacy rates.
Currently focusing on Sierra Leone, the team from the Department of Informatics has been tackling the challenge of providing healthcare information despite the lack of infrastructure and the fact that those who are responsible for registering medical events such as births are often illiterate.
"Registration is often chaotic, with many local adaptations. Collected information frequently overlaps. We go in to standardise the systems so we can get comparable health data from all parts of the country," commented Jørn Braa, Associate Professor from the Department of Informatics.
"Sometimes we see that only half the children in a particular region have been vaccinated. Without reliable figures it’s impossible to assess the job, plan for improvements and draw up an appropriate budget," he continued.
The aim of the project is to create a system that can survive turmoil and political collapse. The software also has to be reusable in different countries, despite varying levels of technology and organization.
Find out more from the University of Oslo.
Registering births
Meet a Role Model who coordinates a busy labour ward in London.
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Date Published: November 13, 2008
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