Strategies for positive outcomes: Can information technology make a difference in health in Africa

This chapter looks to the future through the prism of pilot projects well in progress at the time of this writing: use of a malaria electronic tutorial in Mifumi village, development of a mental health electronic tutorial in northern Uganda, and development of an electronic health management system at Tororo Hospital. Each demonstrates a strategy, rooted in African soil, whose ultimate objective is to improve health through IT and medical informatics. The projects connect users, health professionals, and decision-makers, bringing together interdisciplinary teams. These projects all seek to address the question: Can an information and communication technology (ICT) intervention make a difference in morbidity and mortality in African settings? The findings indicate that not only can these interventions be implemented but can be enhanced with community collaboration, making a positive outcome in terms of community adaptation more likely. Finally, this chapter proposes a health informatics center, a Menlo Park for innovation and entrepreneurship in East Africa in which new ICT inventions and interventions for better health can be created from around the region.