eHealth and mHealth
MEASURE Evaluation Strategic Information for South Africa (MEval-SIFSA) contributed to improved electronic information systems by helping to revise the eHealth strategy for the national Department of Health (NDOH) and with implementing the eHealth and mHealth strategies. The strategies also established digital health applications and tools, such as the mHealth registry at the NDOH and the national indicator data set (NIDS) application. The mHealth strategy was a subset of the eHealth strategy.
In 2016, MEval-SIFSA conducted an assessment of South Africa’s eHealth strategy—the first step for which was documenting the state of eHealth in the country. The project therefore recommended that the eHealth strategy should have more attainable goals and include guidance that provides instructions for effective implementation.
MEval-SIFSA developed two digital health tools to assist the NDOH to manage mHealth projects and contribute to improved data quality: an mHealth registry that allows implementers to enter details of their initiatives and the NIDS app to reflect the master indicator dataset and make it accessible to data collectors. Generally, the project recommended that South Africa attract technical talent and invest in infrastructure to support eHealth and mHealth.
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