Here’s a story from the field spotlighting a RapidPro implementation in Liberia that we proudly maintain for UNICEF and the mHero initiative. As we’ve discussed before, RapidPro is the Open Source software platform that powers TextIt.
We recently spoke with Sean Blaschke of UNICEF and Amanda Puckett of IntraHealth about the groundbreaking Health Worker Electronic Response and Outreach (mHero) program for Ebola response in Liberia.
Sean, Health Systems Strengthening Coordinator for UNICEF Uganda, and Amanda, IntraHealth International’s technical advisor for human resources for health, played key roles in the development and deployment of mHero, a suite of applications that relies on RapidPro for communication. Other components include iHRIS (IntraHealth’s health workforce information software), DHIS 2 (a web-based open-source information system) and the mHero Sync Coordinator (mSync).
mHero is a symbiotic conglomeration of distinct applications that form an SMS-based, IVR-enabled system that facilitates communication between Liberia’s Ministry of Health (MoH) staff, health workers, and community members. RapidPro enables SMS and IVR communication while the combination of iHRIS and DHIS 2 provide data infrastructure and health resource information, such as health workforce data sorted by cadre and location. “It’s the lowest common denominator in essential integrations,” says Sean, “a mobile communications engine for any set of systems.”
In practice, mHero allows the MoH to instantly send critical information to health workers’ mobile phones during the outbreak and in the future. Leveraging RapidPro, the tool allows for:
Broadcast messaging
Reporting emerging cases
Sharing reference and training materials
Testing and improving the knowledge of health workers
Improved coordination among the Ministry of Health, Social Welfare and remote health facilities.
Validating healthcare workers using DHIS 2 and iHRIS
Real-time monitoring, complex surveys and detailed analysis can be conducted with ease. What’s more, IVR allows healthcare organizations to deliver knowledge with higher content limits and no literacy requirement in any spoken language. Our last article highlights a UNICEF RapidPro deployment in Pakistan that leverages IVR to educate social mobilizers about Polio.
In addition to empowering healthcare workers through enhanced communication, the mHero initiative sought to give them control over how the application is being built. “mHero is not prescriptive,” says Sean, “It’s a very simple proposal: improve communication between ministry of health and frontline health workers. From there, what do they want to do with it?”
The mHero team made it a point to train health workers and MoH staff to build Flows using RapidPro, and they took well to it. The idea, Sean pointed out, is to implement the system and let countries define their own use cases. Health workers are the best candidates to design communication systems for health workers. This approach has been successful thus far, as over 75% of workers have completed the surveys.
The ability to quickly and easily setup a RapidPro demo environment using an Android Relayer and the intuitive dashboard and Flow Engine allow for a seamless user onboarding process. “RapidPro is very simple to use, regardless of learning method,” says Sean.
Sign up for a TextIt account today to start building your own SMS or IVR application. In keeping with our goal of fostering development, we provide 1,000 complimentary credits to every new account, as well as country-specific guides to integrating with local carriers and international gateways.
We understand that flexibility is key when deploying an SMS or IVR application, and that’s why we offer a simple prepaid model that lets you add credits to your account only as you need them.
To learn more about TextIt, visit our Learning Center, review our documentation, or watch this short video: