Summary
Objective
The aim of this study is to demonstrate from actual projects that ICT can contribute
to the balance of health systems in developing countries and to equitable access to
human resources and quality health care service. Our study is focused on two essential
elements which are: i) Capacity building and support of health professionals, especially
those in isolated areas using telemedicine tools; ii) Strengthening of hospital information
systems by taking advantage of full potential offered by open-source software.
Methods
Our research was performed on the activities carried out in Mali and in part through
the RAFT (Réseau en Afrique Francophone pour la Télémédecine) Network. We focused
mainly on the activities of e-learning, telemedicine, and hospital information systems.
These include the use of platforms that work with low Internet connection bandwidth.
With regard to information systems, our strategy is mainly focused on the improvement
and implementation of opensource tools.
Results
Several telemedicine application projects were reviewed including continuing online
medical education and the support of isolated health professionals through the usage
of innovative tools. This review covers the RAFT project for continuing medical education
in French-speaking Africa, the tele-radiology project in Mali, the “EQUI-ResHuS” project
for equal access to health over ICT in Mali, The “Pact-e.Santé” project for community
health workers in Mali.We also detailed a large-scale experience of an open-source
hospital information system implemented in Mali: “Cinz@n”.
Conclusion
We report on successful experiences in the field of telemedicine and on the evaluation
by the end-users of the Cinz@n project, a pilot hospital information system in Mali.
These reflect the potential of healthcare-ICT for Sub-Saharan African countries.
Keywords
Telemedicine - tele-expertise - teleradiology - ultrasonography - Africa
