August 18, 2005
RU OK? South Africans tackle AIDS with texts
Unlike most HIV/AIDS counsellors in South Africa, who toil with pen and paper to keep track of the country's estimated 6.5 million sufferers, Nobafunti Dondolo'so and her colleagues rely on an easy-to-use text message system. The Khaleej Times reports.
Specially tailored mobile phones are programmed with a list of questions aimed at monitoring patients on anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs: Is the patient experiencing side effects? Is she eating healthily? Does she have clean water?
During home visits to AIDS sufferers, counsellors ask the questions and immediately text the answers to a database at the University of Cape Town. Doctors and health workers monitor the database and can respond to urgent requests.
Most importantly, counsellors count how many ARV pills are left and forward the details, keeping tabs on whether patients are correctly taking the complex cocktail of drugs and also encouraging them to be rigorous about their medication.
It is real time, said Jalal Ghiassi-Razavi, project manager. The carers may not know the situation is critical but the doctors receiving the message might and they can respond. A piece of paper won't be dealt with until following week.
Researchers at the University of Cape Town started the text messaging project, called CellLife, in 2000 to harness technology to help tackle one of South Africa's biggest killers.
CellLife works with the Desmond Tutu HIV/AIDS Research Centre and clinic. Around 1,000 patients from Guguletu are logged onto their system.
Patients say the technology makes the process more systematic. Knowing their counsellor is just a text message away is also reassuring."
Related articles:
-- Cell-Life or How SMS Could Save Your Life
-- Cell-Life: Cellphones Join Battle Against HIV/Aids
-- Cell-Life: AIDS monitoring by SMS
-- AIDS prevention campaign by SMS in Nigeria
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