Can Kenya's digitization of community health improve data collection?

Every day, Dismus Owido starts his day at 9 a.m. by checking tasks assigned to him by the electronic community health information system known as eCHIS. Owido is a resident of lower Makindu village in Tamu, Kisumu county, and a community health volunteer. He uses the eCHIS app — which is part of a pilot program in Kisumu — to manage his workflow and collect health data.

On this day, he found that he had two tasks which include follow-up visits to two children he had seen the previous day. One is a 13-month-old baby and the other a 4-year-old, both had colds.

At his first stop, Owido uses the app, which essentially guides him through questions that he should ask for the particular ailments that he is treating. In the end, the app recommends the appropriate decision whether it is a diagnosis that he will provide treatment for or referral to a health facility.

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