SIU Newsletter October - MSF Telehealth Toolkit & Data Management in Disasters
Foundations
A HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW SURVEY OF 270 EXECUTIVES IN 2018 EXPLORED THE BIGGEST PERCEIVED CHALLENGES TO INNOVATION in large companies. Any guesses what they were? The top three challenges identified were lack of internal alignment; cultural issues; and inability to act on crucial signals. It seems clear from where we're standing that these challenges are not exclusive to corporate organisations, nor have they lost their relevance in the past two years. Overcoming these shared challenges, tapping into the potential of innovative efforts, and facing their associated realities head-on, require dedicated attention to set solid foundational elements in place in any organisation. For MSF, COVID-19 served as a catalyst for the scale-up of numerous Telehealth efforts which in turn pointed towards a clear need for us to take a long and hard look at our foundations and how they may be set to facilitate new demands. More on this below.
While we stand firmly by the sentiment that innovation is not synonymous with digital, we are delighted to profile another tech-enabled initiative this month - MSF REACH. Decision-making in humanitarian and global health emergencies must be precise and timely, the REACH team is currently exploring how we can reinforce our traditional decision-making processes with advanced analytics tools and supportive information management systems.
And, if you're looking for some new podcasts to accompany your morning coffee or tea look no further than the final section of this newsletter where we have featured two on how vaccines are perceived globally, and Facebook’s new foray into Africa.
Innovation Highlights from the MSF Movement
MSF Innovation Highlight 1 - MSF COVID-19 App
COVID CHALLENGE is a game-based app developing by the MSF Operational Centre Geneva Medical Department. It was developed to counteract misinformation around COVID-19 and promote safe and healthy practice by people facing the challenge of disinformation that was widely shared about COVID-19 at community level. Targeting those who are familiar with digital tools, the game was designed to pass evidence-based and practical messages that help communities gain knowledge and practice behaviours to help prevent the spread of the outbreak. The quiz-based structure of the game is intended to improve retention and engagement of users.
The digital health promotion tool is designed in a way to easily update and incorporate the latest scientific information. It is currently available in English, French, Spanish, and Arabic and can easily be expanded into other languages where there is demand. Crucially, it’s voice-reading option gives access to those who can’t read the text.
Status: A pilot release is currently ongoing with more than 40 downloads and 150 game sessions logged. Full release will be launched once the iOS version is completed. THE APP CAN NOW BE DOWNLOADED FROM GOOGLE PLAY STORE for Android devices.
Next Steps: The format of the current COVID game had already been explored with the MSF Ebola App and presented at MSF Scientific Days. The repository of illustrations along with the established method has given way to discussion to do similar tools around home-based care for chronic conditions that require patient engagement and long-term care.
MSF COVID App tackling misinformation and disinformation. See the Android App HERE - iOS version coming soon!
MSF COVID App tackling misinformation and disinformation. See the Android App HERE - iOS version coming soon!
MSF Innovation Highlight 2 - REACH Information Management in Disaster Situations
MSF REACH (REACTION ASSESSMENT COLLABORATION HUB) is an internal MSF platform designed to support improved information management in times of emergencies and foster more efficient decision-support during disasters. The objective of REACH is to effectively combine institutional data (including contact network mapping, past and active MSF operations etc.) with crowd-sourced information (including social media and relevant RSS feeds) in real-time, equipping MSF with virtual eyes on the ground and setting up a systematic surveillance system.
These insights are then used for monitoring purposes, project management, and contact mapping – the REACH team has designed several features that help MSF staff to streamline their data sharing activities between the field and HQ.
Status: A major milestone was reached the beginning of July 2020 when the latest version minimum viable product was launched. Four pilot teams in the field (3 MSF Operational Centres) are currently testing and validating in Senegal, Ethiopia, South Africa and Hong Kong.
Next steps: The MSF REACH Team are now focusing on supporting field staff users to upload their data and eliciting feedback on their feedback in order to enhance the platform according to their needs. Every month an updated release with more advanced features and enhancements is available and presented to the wider group. The REACH team will soon be profiling early learnings and insights internally - watch this space!
Those with MSF credentials can access the REACH resources and system HERE >>>
MSF COVID App tackling misinformation and disinformation. See the Android App HERE - iOS version coming soon!
MSF Innovation Highlight 3 - MSF Telehealth Toolkit
Telehealth is not new to MSF. For over a decade we have been facilitating COMPLEX CASE SHARING AND SUPPORT BETWEEN CLINICIANS in addition to rolling out a variety of digitally enabled health promotion campaigns and services, largely led by the Telemedicine team in Canada. Like many health systems and organisations, COVID-19 pushed us to look at the digital opportunity and our future strategy as an organisation. With this, we launched the Telehealth Toolkit project in September 2020.
Status: This Phase One investigation will result in a toolkit to guide MSF field teams through pre-launch decision making, telehealth call centre and hotline implementation, and evaluation of telehealth initiatives impact. We are currently reviewing the existing literature and interviewing internal and external experts to distill actionable insights for MSF teams looking to launch new telehealth efforts or improve current offerings.
Next Steps: The MSF Telehealth Toolkit and report will be finalised at the end of October this year. There will be an internal MSF webinar to present and discuss these findings and implications for next steps. Some associated insights will also be shared externally. Ultimately we aim to validate this toolkit in a number of pilots following its completion and further refine the tool. If you have relevant expertise launching telehealth or health hotline services and are interested in contributing to this investigation (from inside or outside MSF) feel free to reach out by replying to this email.
MSF SIU, in collaboration with MSF colleagues in the Telemedicine Unit Canada and the MSF Operational Centre Geneva, are formulating a toolkit to support MSF Telehealth implementations and evaluations. Reply to this email if you feel you have relevant insights to contribute to the report!
MSF SIU, in collaboration with MSF colleagues in the Telemedicine Unit Canada and the MSF Operational Centre Geneva, are formulating a toolkit to support MSF Telehealth implementations and evaluations. Reply to this email if you feel you have relevant insights to contribute to the report!
External Resource Highlight
The WHO, Wellcome Trust and University of Exeter hosted a webinar on the emerging issue of digital health disparity on September 10th 2020. In this discussion the panelists their perspectives on the current digital disparities, data inequities, and champion a focus on populations that may be particularly susceptible such as refugees, the elderly, and those in rural communities. Watch the full discussion HERE
What We're Listening to
Podcast One: In this episode of 'the Your Undivided Attention' podcast the host explores what was a shock announcement to many on the Facebook “2Africa” launch - a subsea cable project that will encircle nearly the entire continent of Africa. Listen on HERE to hear more from the Executive Director of Internet Without Borders on digital colonialism and the need to join the conversation with big tech.
Podcast Two: This episode of The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine 'Viral' Podcast explores the 'Vaccine Confidence Project' which mines social media data and collects global survey insights on the changing public perspectives on vaccines - an important insight to consider as we anticipate a safe and efficacious COVID-19 vaccine. Listen to the full episode HERE
Until Next Time 👋
Any burning thoughts you would like to share on the above? Anything you would like to feature in the next newsletter? Reach out with any questions or comments on siu@stockholm.msf.org or simply reply to this email - we'd be delighted to continue the conversation!