Digital primary health care
Improving patient outcomes using digital tools that support frontline workers and transform health systems.
Challenge
In many countries, frontline workers manage patient records on paper, impacting care quality and patient health outcomes.
Solution
We partner with governments and health care workers to co-design digital tools that better meet their needs.
Impact
Better-designed digital systems allow health care workers to improve patient follow-up and support timely referrals, strengthening continuity of care and improving patient outcomes.
What is digital primary health care?
Digital primary health care uses digital tools to transform primary health care systems and improve patient outcomes.
Done well, digital systems improve paper-based processes rather than simply replicating them. A well-built electronic medical record can flag high-risk patients before their condition worsens, prompt timely referrals and give health care workers a complete picture of every patient.
Many digital health tools fail because they are designed without the people who use them. Digital primary health care involves co-designing tools with health care workers to reflect their workflows, answer their needs and earn their trust. By involving health care workers in the process, they are invested in the system, leading to increased adoption and, ultimately, better outcomes for patients.
How digital primary health care works in Rwanda
We are partnering with the Rwandan Ministry of Health (MoH) to realize a vision of a paperless primary health care system. By moving away from hospital-centric approaches, we’re supporting Rwanda’s move towards an approach that brings higher-quality care to its communities.
Enhancing digital tools and usability
Our work focuses on making technology work for people, not the other way around. We have embedded developers and user researchers within the MoH, where they are automating monthly reporting and insurance claims and developing training videos, allowing health care workers to focus on patients, not paperwork.
Embedding clinical protocols into digital tools
To ensure every patient receives the best care, we have translated complex clinical protocols including maternal health, diabetes and hypertension into machine-readable algorithms. By embedding these into digital tools, we enable health care workers to provide standardized treatment across all health facilities.
Data-driven accountability and financing
We are developing a dashboard that allows the MoH and the Rwanda Biomedical Centre to monitor key performance indicators in real-time. We are also supporting health financing reforms to make sure health investments lead to better outcomes for patients.
Building sustainable local capacity
Rather than providing a temporary fix, we are strengthening the digital expertise of local partners and MoH staff. Through partnerships with institutions like the Rwanda Coding Academy, we’re developing a pipeline of local talent to maintain and evolve these digital systems for years to come.