A mobile application with self-management tools has been made available to patients in Ghana who are living with hypertension and diabetes, providing them with a distinctive and more individualized type of therapy. The app includes built-in protocols that let users enter daily readings of their blood pressure (BP) and blood sugar for real-time remote monitoring and management by their doctors.
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as cancer, diabetes, and hypertension, are the top causes of death worldwide and constitute a rising danger to global health. According to the WHO, by 2030, NCDs will overtake all other causes of death in Africa. Heart failure and kidney failure are two medical problems that are frequently brought on in Ghana by hypertension.
Using the current service and price methods, it has been more difficult over time to sustainably incorporate and keep the rising numbers of people living with NCDs in care. Some patients who have been using the app since it was first released have found that access to care has increased thanks to the NCD Care initiative, which was launched by global health group PharmAccess and digital health pioneer Luscii.
Positive user feedback about the system's usability has been received thus far. One of the app's users, Baaba, remarked of it in a speech to journalists about NCD care during the Global Week for Action on NCDs: "The app is incredibly convenient. My doctor introduced me to the program, and I was given my own monitor so I could check my blood pressure at home.
With the NCD Care program, patients measure and input their blood pressure or blood sugar measurements in the mobile app, and their doctors receive automatic alerts that provide information on the patient's health condition. This allows them to contact the patient as soon as risks are identified via phone call or text message.
The mobile app enables patients to self-monitor, receive health information, lifestyle recommendations, and prescription reminder messages, and to be assigned to the best care depending on risk levels. By managing their lifestyle, taking their medications as prescribed, and receiving instruction, the mobile app enables users to change their behavior. Innovative solutions that offer inexpensive care for the expanding patient populations are urgently required because the majority of African health systems are severely underfunded.
Partnership was established during COVID.
Early on in the COVID pandemic, Luscii Healthtech, PharmAccess Foundation, and University of Ghana Medical Centre began working together using a mobile application called COVIDConnect. With the network and assistance of PharmAccess, the software and service created by Luscii and the OLVG hospital in The Netherlands were successfully scaled to three African nations. The service allowed users to independently check for symptoms that could be coronavirus-related. The software was modified for monitoring two non-communicable diseases with high prevalence: diabetes and hypertension, because of its adaptability. The digital service, now known as "NCD Care," completes Ghana's NCD strategy in accordance with the country's national health policy. The Greater Accra Regional Hospital (GARH), the 37 Military Hospital, and the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) are the first three facilities to participate in the NCD experiment.
Medical staff participation and responsiveness
Hospital staff members have received training, and medical teams are modifying the organizational structure of their workflow to incorporate the use of the App. It is commendable how responsive the medical teams have been so far. Depending on the type of warnings supplied, 65% to 75% of the alerts regarding abnormal blood and glucose levels of their patients are processed within 48 hours.
The program focuses on self-management, prevention, and the care of complex situations with the goal of improving health outcomes and the responsiveness of the participating medical personnel.
Dr. Maxwell Antwi, the country director for PharmAccess Ghana, stated that since the program's launch, patients have been enthusiastic about taking blood pressure and blood glucose readings at least twice a month. The pilot has enhanced both patient health outcomes and medical staff participation, with a focus on self-management, prevention, and the handling of complex situations.
Expansion
Dr. Maxwell Antwi claims that PharmAccess and Luscii have the same goal of commercializing the digitally enabled chronic care paradigm within the following three years. They will aim to enhance results and widen their network of partners, including physicians and healthcare investors in the nations, for this to be successful.
The country director for PharmAccess congratulated Norad and stated, "We have been able to establish a three-year strategy with Luscii and optimize the mobile monitoring service. With these encouraging initial findings, we hope to broaden our reach in Ghana and elsewhere, improving the health prospects for the millions of Africans who are still awaiting treatment for NCDs.
Dr. Ronald Scheffer, a co-founder of Luscii, said: "We want to save healthcare expenditures while improving clinical outcomes for patients with NCDs. In Europe, there have been significant improvements in the quality of healthcare and the reduction of unneeded hospital visits. Our tested technique has the potential to significantly improve NCD care in Africa. We are moving one step closer to realizing our vision of changing healthcare with this multi-year partnership.
