To transform a population's health—including reducing costs and improving equity and outcomes—countries need actionable data. This means combining diverse data sources into coherent analytical tools. A common pain point for many of the governments and organizations we partner with at IntraHealth International is managing the ever-changing metadata about facilities, workforce status, the care provided, and supply chains. As the number of data...

When Ebola spread through Liberia in August 2014, health workers needed information—and they needed it fast. We’ve seen exactly the same need during the COVID-19 pandemic. Back in 2014, IntraHealth International and UNICEF created mHero—a two-way, mobile phone-based communication system that connects ministries of health and frontline health workers—to support health-sector communication in Liberia during the Ebola outbreak. The original version...

The technical nature of international development work means that to get ahead, there is a pressure to specialize. Many staff become experts within silos without always enjoying the benefits of trying something new through immersion in other spheres of development work. That can particularly true within the emerging field of public-sector technology innovation. Familiarity with the methods of dot.coms is important, but are there blind spots for...

We know that interoperability is key to improving the effectiveness and resilience of health information systems. As we've said before, it’s crucial to overcoming the fragmented and proprietary global health information systems we have today, and can allow governments and their stakeholders to make the most of their data, including extending, upgrading, and preserving it. Yet how do we move from that lofty goal to practical action? For us at...

Predictive analytics, rapid diagnostics, and portable, personal medical records promise a future where health systems are stronger and more efficient, and where anyone can live a longer, healthier, fuller life. But one of the prerequisites for this promised transformation is that health systems—whether they’re for diagnostics or patient records or lab results—are interoperable, meaning they can quickly and seamlessly exchange data using open...

I’ve done my share of training district health officers and others in low-resource settings. I know that the vast majority of health workers who report data in district offices or health facilities in the low- and middle-income countries where IntraHealth International works are on congested 2G mobile networks in small towns. Which means they’re waiting—waiting for web applications to load over poor Internet connections. Complete and accurate...