The coronavirus pandemic has sparked many changes in our
socio-economic life since its outbreak in December 2019. Notwithstanding the
negative impacts of the pandemic, the disease put forth trends in health and
Information Technology (IT) across the world.
The technological transformation in healthcare systems has
provided an upper hand in the fight to control diseases and viruses, driving
good healthcare especially in the face of the pandemic.
Take for instance the Respiratory Tract Infections (RTIs),
which correlate with COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. These infections
are common and patients or medical practitioners could easily miss a point when
it comes to diagnosing them
The infections come with similar symptoms including a cough
(some with mucus –phlegm), sneezing, a stuffy or runny nose, a sore throat,
headaches, muscle aches, breathlessness, tight chest or wheezing, a high
temperature, and feeling generally unwell.
Respiratory Infection
Symptoms
Wrong interpretation of these symptoms increases the chances
of infection and the spread of viral RTIs. However, thanks to Health IT and
efforts laid by technology-powered diagnostic institutions, such dangers are on
the radar.
In Kenya, health IT is gaining traction as stakeholders
continue to embrace technological changes in the fight to control diseases such
as coronavirus.
Technological resources developed by health tech institutions
allow medical professionals and researchers to track, retrieve and utilize
valuable data in the fight to control disease and provide better healthcare conditions.
The recent initiative powered by ILARA HEALTH is a good
indicator of healthcare transformation in the country. With the development of
the ResAppDX, an App that diagnoses lower tract respiratory infections by
listening to cough sounds, the company said medical practitioners will be in a
position to provide accurate diagnosis and in real-time.
The ResAppDX is set to show the doctor conditions surrounding
the respiratory tract and define the severity of diseases such as Pneumonia,
Asthma, Bronchiolitis, and Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) –which
have been identified as acute conditions for Covid-19 patients.
According to ILARA HEALTH, the App offers acute respiratory
diagnostic tests, analyzing the cough signatures it picks through a
smartphone’s in-built microphone.
“Patients cough and the application’s in-built technology
detects lower tract infections. This provides accurate diagnostics which enable
evidence-backed treatment. Coughs and breathing sounds tell vital information
about the condition of the respiratory tract…,” read part of the statement
from the company’s website.
Traditionally, doctors use a stethoscope to examine the
condition of the respiratory tract and give their interpretation which may
compromise the accuracy of the diagnosis. But with the ResApp, the company says
accuracy is improved based on the fact that a bout of cough exposes audible
sounds to the automated tech device.
ILARA HEALTH IT Network in Kenya. Image|Courtesy
“Stethoscopes hear sounds that are compromised since the
sound has to first pass through the chest musculature. This muffles
high-pitched components of respiratory sounds. During a bout of coughs,
however, the lungs are directly connected to the atmosphere. That is the
opportunity that ResApp taps into through automated technology. The device
picks audible respiratory sounds that carry crucial information about the
respiratory tract condition…” the statement continues.
The App, which was rolled out in May 2021 is compatible with
both IOS and Android smartphones.
ILARA HEALTH says it rolled out ResApp after an intensive
pilot evaluation that the company undertook at five partner clinics.
The company adds that ResAppDX is a game-changer in the fight
to control respiratory diseases like Covid-19 and that it is ready to offer
appropriate training to facilities and medical practitioners on the effective
use of the application.
“We shall charge the facilities KES 220/test (VAT included),
enabling them to detect respiratory tract infections in their patients and
offer apt care and treatment, while increasing their revenue.
Covid-19 in Kenya
“The ResApp runs on data bundles, and to facilitate this, we
have come up with an arrangement where facilities buy prepaid test-bundles in
set packages (similar to how we buy data bundles) on a need basis…” reads the
statement in part.
The COVID-19 positivity rate currently stands at 9% with a
total of more than 176,622 cases confirmed. The ministry of health reports
shows that about 102 patients are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 29 of whom
are on ventilator support and 60 on supplemental oxygen.
These cases could be contained following full implementation
of Health IT resources like the ResAPPDX which analyses and gives an accurate
diagnosis for severe diseases like Asthma, thus containing Covid-19 infections.
Health IT is a game-changer for effective and efficient
healthcare in the country, especially during this post-Covid-19 pandemic.
Allowing doctors and nurses to accumulate lab results, records of vital signs,
and other critical patient data into one centralized area is transforming the
level of care and efficiency a patient can expect to receive.
Health stigma and fear developed across the world are
becoming intense, hindering the fight to control the coronavirus pandemic.
But with the development of technological diagnostic
resources like ResApp the fight against the pandemic is rife. The health IT
resources make common diagnostics affordable and accessible to all patients.