Where We Work | Program

Electronic Immunization Records

A digital solution that supports the electronic tracking of patient data, such as digital immunization records, to empower health care workers to track child immunization status, improve immunization data quality, support better decision making and better communicate with caregivers.

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Country

Global Impact

Solution

Electronic Immunization Registry

Topic

Health care information

Status

Active

Background

In order to reach more children with life-saving immunizations, VillageReach is applying human-centered design (HCD) methodology towards the development of an Electronic Immunization Registry (EIR) in Mozambique and Côte d’Ivoire

HCD can be used to establish solutions that fulfil a population’s needs and improve health outcomes. As an EIR is designed to digitize paper-based immunization records, it is important to understand how these records are updated and maintained from a human-centered perspective.

How it
Works

HCD is a process that places humans at the centre of each step, so that the solution is tailored to their needs. These steps include:

• Inspiration – we begin to understand the problem, as well as our users.
• Ideation – we begin to brainstorm ways in which we can address the issue.
• Implementation – we plan how we will implement with potential users.

Inspiration

The team went through a process of observing and interviewing immunization staff to better understand the future users’ environment. In Mozambique, we did so at c20 health facilities in Manica and Zambezia provinces June-August 2019. In Côte d’Ivoire, this was conducted in the districts of Duekoue, Nassian and Touba, grouping 81 health areas, in March 2019.

Ideation

Next, we analyzed interview and observation data to develop user personas and journey maps. Our personas for the future EIR can be accessed here and our journey map can be accessed below. These helped us understand where and how an EIR would be most likely to work in the immunization delivery and management processes.

Resources

Report | 2021

M-Vaccin Preliminary Evaluation Report

Research | 2020

Landscape Analysis of Electronic Immunization Registries

View Resource

Report | 2019

Mozambique EIR Requirements Report

View Resource

Research | 2019

EIR User Journey Map

View Resource

Fact Sheet | 2019

M-Vaccin Overview

View Resource

View Additional Resources

Program Impact

In Côte d’Ivoire, since December 2019, VillageReach and its partners (Orange CI, PEV and GAVI) have deployed the M-VACCIN EIR solution in five health districts (Duekoue, Nassian, Touba, Koro and Ouaninou). This implementation phase has so far allowed the registration of more than 15,000 mothers and 10,000 children to whom the system has sent more than 96,000 messages. During the preliminary evaluation conducted in May 2021, more than 90% of the mothers interviewed found the content of the SMS messages important or extremely important. Also 73% of health workers and 100% of CHWs said they perceived a positive impact of the M-VACCIN solution on immunization activities. The evaluation also showed that measles and rubella coverage has an upward trend in districts with M-VACCIN while it is static or declining in non-recipient districts.

In Mozambique, the implementation of the EIR solution will take place in 2022.