Background
The Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ)’s capacity to plan, manage and deliver high quality and equitable essential health services can be greatly improved with cross-cutting health systems strengthening interventions. The goal of USAID’s five-year Systems for Better Health (SBH) program is to improve health outcomes for Zambians by strengthening systems that underpin the delivery of high quality health services.
The program also seeks to increase the utilization of high impact health interventions including strengthening linkages between the community and facility for key health interventions. To contribute to this objective, Save the Children (SC), a sub-contractor on USAID Systems for Better Health, will implement a pilot study in Kitwe that will focus on reducing loss to follow-up and interruption or discontinuation of treatment among HIV positive children and adolescents, improve access to diagnosis and treatment services, and improve patient tracking and case management between the health facility and the community and link them to social support services.
Background on patient tracking system: Even where HAART is provided free, HIV positive children and adolescent face significant barriers to care, treatment, medication adherence and support. Client reminder systems have been suggested to improve delivery of HIV services. Evidence shows that delayed diagnosis, treatment and care for HIV infected clients conspire to put a sizeable fraction of infants, children and adolescents at high risk for mortality.
The PedTrack system, a simple software, has proven to reverse this trend by not only ensuring the timely diagnosis of the HIV status of children and adolescents, but also improving care, and treatment including drug adherence and suppression of plasma HIV-1 RNA load. It is very effective in strengthening the referral link between the facility health providers and community providers (where possible using the Community Case Management (CCM) platform), even in the most remote areas, with little or no internet connectivity. The ultimate aim is to provide an opportunity to children and adolescents a better quality of life.
The software installed at health facilities serves as a reminder system to the facility health provider, who would in turn provide the information to community health providers (in this case in Zambia, to the para social workers) responsible for providing holistic care to HIV positive individuals, including children and adolescent.
Within five months of piloting of the system in a small community of South Africa – mother baby pairs who received reminders significantly improved their health seeking behaviors, ART adherence and rates of viral suppression. There was a marked increase in the number HIV infected mothers returning for postnatal HIV care and support services; and HEI undergoing PCR tests.
Save the Children will adapt this simple, user-friendly, and appropriately adapted computer software –“PedTrack” – for use at health facilities to facilitate the post natal follow-up of HIV Infected mothers and their children through adolescence to minimize losses to follow-up and ensure timely diagnosis of HIV amongst children and adolescents, care, treatment and support. With this system, patients receive reminders from their clinic nurse and community caregiver regarding their upcoming appointments.
Where possible, with mobile technology availability, women would be provided with, and gain access to vital educational and motivational information and care needed to ensure a safe and healthy pregnancy and labor.
Description: PedTrack is a stand-alone system based on Microsoft SQL server as a Database at the back end and C Sharp (C#) as a Graphical User Interface in the front end. SQL as a database is a software product whose primary function is to store and retrieve data as requested by other software applications such as C sharp which makes the database use friendly to the final user. No software licenses are specifically required to run the application since it is an open source software, and the application is provided free of charge as PEPFAR paid for its development. Limited computer experience is required for a person to effectively use this software application; however as in any electronic system, routine support is required to ensure high quality entry of data and in order to maximize the benefits of PedTrack”. SBH will closely work with the Ministry of Health and see how best PedTrack can complement what SMART Care is currently working to achieve as opposed to setting up a totally independent system away from SMART Care.
Objectives
- Adapt the PedTrack software system for patient tracking and case management at health facilities without internet access, but can be complemented with SMS messaging
- Implement the PedTrack system at all the 5 health centers of the HIV pilot project in order to remove the obstacles that prevent timely diagnosis, care, treatment and support of HIV amongst children and adolescents. Thus minimizing loss to follow up of HIV positive children and adolescents
- To provide a link between the clients and the health services, to improve quality of care.
Specific Activities
- Assess the current linkages between the community and the 5 health facilities, i.e. ART patient tracking system in place at the health facilities (record keeping, existing community based volunteers, social support services available in the health facility catchment area, mapping existing local NGOs CBOs and FBOs etc.)
- Assess current linkages between community-based/social services and health centers and approaches to identify gaps in patient tracking and case management among HIV-exposed infants, HIV positive children and adolescents;
- Adapt the PedTrack software system for patient tracking and case management at health facilities without internet access, but can be complemented with SMS messaging;
- Put in place the PedTrack system at the 5 health facilities located in Kitwe, Copperbelt province
- Provide training on PedTrack to health program managers from the DMO, health workers, data clerks and para-professionals at 5 health centers in Kitwe, Copperbelt province;
- Recommend how the PedTrack system can be aligned with other tracking tools and reporting systems of the health facilities;
- Orient health program managers.
Expected Deliverables
Product Deliverables
Timeline
Design of a scheduler to implement client/patient tracking and case management
February 1-6, 2017
PedTrack system installed at all the 5 health centers of the HIV pilot project
February 11, 2017
Reporting forms for monitoring and evaluation
February 11, 2017
Report on the implementation of the PedTrack system at all the 5 health centers of the HIV pilot project
February 11, 2017
Skills, Attributes and Experiences:
A successful candidate must meet the following criteria:
- Monitoring and Evaluation expert with experience in implementing a scheduler in patient tracking and case management (PedTrack), preferably at health centers in Africa;
- A good understanding of the existing governmental and non-governmental structures involved in delivering prevention, treatment, care and support of those infected and affected by HIV;
- Proven ability in designing tracking systems for HIV-infected and affected children and adults including adolescents.
- Able to work in a fast-paced, rapid changing environment and prioritise multiple tasks and projects with completion in a timely manner;
- Ability to collaborate and coordinate with Ministry of Health Directorate of Clinical Care, Diagnostic Services and the Monitoring and Evaluation Unit of the Directorate of Policy and Planning and other stakeholders in the design and implementation of program activities.
- Good training/workshop facilitating and report writing skills
Qualifications
Consultants interested in implementing a scheduler for patient tracking and case management should at least possess the following qualifications:
- IT Specialist certification or degree in computer science;
- Expert knowledge and practical experience in implementing a scheduler for patient tracking and case management (PedTrack);
- At least 5 year experience in computer software systems.
How to apply:
Please submit CV and inquiries to [email protected]
More Information
- Job City Zambia
