Medic Mobile
Medic Mobile uses low-cost mobile technology to create connected, coordinated health systems that save more lives.
THE PROBLEM
A shortage of doctors in the developing world has led some clinics to begin training community members in remote villages to visit patients and dispense medications. These workers can provide basic care, but have difficulty managing urgent or serious cases and are often as disconnected from the clinics as the patients themselves.
THE INNOVATION
Using free and open source software, inexpensive cell phones, and netbooks, Medic Mobile improves communication and coordination between community health care workers in remote locations and the clinic-based doctors.
“We’re very focused on resource constrained areas where many clinics don’t have IT staff to set up servers or have money for hardware. The clinics might not even have dependable Internet or electricity. Our software is a low-frills, easy to use electronic medical record that also incorporates mobile components like SMS and mobile data collection. We create tools that we put in the hands of health workers that make them more connected. More connected systems leave fewer people out. Even in far flung regions people receive care and don’t slip through the cracks.” – Dieterich Lawson, Lead Software Developer, Medic Mobile
THE VISION
By creating tools that allow doctors to monitor their patients – even when they are 60 miles away – Medic Mobile’s creators hope that the connected systems will improve overall care and create a better understanding the health of entire populations.
“The people in these rural areas are vital to the overall health of a nation. By gathering data on people living in the ‘last mile’, ministries of health and other decision makers can finally get an accurate picture of healthcare that doesn’t leave anyone out. We plan to bring the data from these rural clinics up to the national level.” – Dieterich Lawson, Lead Software Developer, Medic Mobile