Using ODK 2/ODK-X frameworks for Vaccine Cold Chain Management
The ICTD research group has partnered with PATH, the World Health Organization (WHO), and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to pilot a mobile information management application built on ODK 2/ODK-X frameworks. The goal is to create a reusable mobile information management application to monitor and maintain a high-quality vaccine cold chain with sufficient working vaccine storage space. The mobile Vaccine Cold Chain Information Management System is designed to support a remote workforce making real-time updates on location will significantly improve the inventory update process. ODK 2/ODK-X’s synchronization protocols enable remote field workers to access local, up-to-date cold chain data with their mobile device while visiting sites that are disconnected from the Internet. The mobile Vaccine Cold Chain Information Management System is flexibly designed to enable countries to adjust workflows and dataflows to the different country-specific deployment requirements.
The WHO is currently piloting an ODK 2/ODK-X based Vaccine Cold Chain Equipment Inventory Application in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pakistan, and Bangladesh to monitor the performance of new equipment. Field workers use the mobile application to update equipment inventories and gather data about equipment operation. Gavi is supporting a pilot project in Uganda to create a country-wide cold chain equipment inventory. Initially, Gavi supported a small 14 district cold chain inventory equipment update pilot. During this initial pilot, cold chain technicians performed facility information updates, recorded temperature monitoring results, and tracked refrigerator repairs. The initial three month pilot (February 2020 until April 2020) was successful and is being scaled up to a country-wide deployment in 2021. Results from the initial pilot showed that over 80% of the health care facilities’ information was updated, and over 80% of the cold chain equipment information was updated. All initial pilot participants who were interviewed reported that ODK 2/ODK-X based application was either ‘very easy’ or ‘moderately easy’ to use.
Additional information can be found in our COMPASS 2020 paper.
