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BACKGROUND
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The USAID Global Supply Chain Program-Procurement and Supply Management (GHSC-PSM) project developed this Guide to support the navigation of the Community Health Worker (CHW) Mobile Applications Analysis. This landscape analysis was created to provide organizations with information regarding various mobile applications currently in use for distribution of health commodities by community health workers (CHWs). GHSC-PSM conducted online research to identify mobile applications that CHWs can use for logistics management. cStock, Commcare Supply, OpenSRP, DHIS2, and Logistimo are the five mobile applications identified in our desk review for commodity management at the CHW level.
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The project conducted an online desk review and held key informant interviews with the parties involved in the development and/or implementation of these five mobile applications. The summary data in the landscape analysis is based on the desk review and in-depth discussions with key informants. A technical brief, Analyzing the Landscape: Supply Chain Mobile Tools for Commuity Health Workers provides evidence regarding systems capabilities, features and use of mobile applications by CHWs to increase data visibility and improve product availability.
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TOOL ORGANIZATION
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The landscape analysis is organized based on the question categories below with associated responses for each mobile application:
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•General Questions
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•Data Collection and Use
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•Supply Chain Decisions
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•MIS
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•Implementation
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•Training
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•Advantages
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•Limitations
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•PSM Testing Experience
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•Quality Control
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•Technical Support from Developers
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•Website
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SUMMARY OF SOME OF THE QUESTIONS PER CATEGORY:
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•General Questions
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Broad overview of the tool, who developed the tool, where it is currently used and at which level of the health supply chain.
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•Data Collection and Use
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Commodity and data flow, type of logistics data captured through the application and frequency of data entry and reporting.
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•Supply Chain Decisions
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Logistics data used for making decisions and the type of supply chain decisions that can be made.
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•MIS
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Ability to work offline, interoperability with other applications and technical requirements for the application to operate.
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•Implementation
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CHW data storage and how long data is available for use by the program or country, costs associated with subscription, hosting and maintenance and how many months of data the application needs to calculate order quantities for resupply.
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•Training
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How CHW’s are trained on application use.
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•PSM Testing Experience
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Testing experience of the application from PSM’s perspective.
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•Advantages
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Advantages of using the applications.
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•Limitations
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Limitations that may impact the use of applications at the CHW level.
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•Quality Control
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Verification of built-in data entry and data validation checks which prevent data entry errors.
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•Technical Support from Application Developers.
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Type of technical support provided for users in-country (Local support, WhatsApp).
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•Website Link
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Link to the application developers’ website.
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HOW TO NAVIGATE THE TOOL
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Compiled data can be found in the tab labeled CHW Mobile App Analysis and acronyms can be found in the tab named Acronyms. Data in column B in the CHW mobile app analysis tab has been organized by different question categories for ease of review. The workbook can be downloaded from the File menu and depending upon an individual’s/organization’s interest, questions can be filtered by question categories (column B) or by questions (column C). Column D through H includes responses for each question per mobile application.
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TOOL QUESTIONS
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The below table includes all the questions which are part of the Excel tool and their explanations.
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Question CategoriesQuestionsExplanation
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GENERAL QUESTIONS1Developed by→The name of the organization that developed the mobile application.
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2Currently used in (list countries/regions, programs) by CHWs for supply chain management→This includes countries/programs using the mobile applications by CHWs.
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3Organization’s point of contact→These are the points of contact (PoCs) per organizations interviewed.
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4Description (high-level description of the tool)→This provides a high-level description of the mobile applications.
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5Users (who is using the tool, e.g., CHWs, service delivery point (SDP) staff, etc.)→List of users who are interacting with the application.
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DATA COLLECTION AND USE6Commodity and Data flow – CHW use case →This describes the process for commodity and information flow at the CHW level for mobile applications with CHW use cases.
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7Commodity and Data flow general→This describes the process for commodity and information flow at the CHW level for mobile applications without specific CHW use cases.
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8What logistics data is captured through the application?→List of various types of logistics data collected by the tool (e.g., stock on hand, issues data).
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9Frequency of reporting. →How often should the CHW submit their report using the mobile application?
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10Frequency of data entry→How often should the CHW enter data into the mobile application?
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SUPPLY CHAIN DECISIONS11What decision(s) are made based on the data collected?→
This describes supply chain decisions made based on the data collected (e.g., quantities to resupply).
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How many months of data does the app need to calculate order quantities for resupply?
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This question asks for the total number of months of data required for quantities for resupply.
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MIS13Name of hosting platform.→Name of the platform used to host the application.
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14Platform used to access the tool (web, mobile, Excel, desktop application)→Name of the platform used to access the tool.
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15What are the technical requirements for this application to operate (database, cloud server, software installation)→This question asks for the list of technical requirements needed to use the application.
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16Licensing and data use agreements→Discusses licensing and data use agreements requirements.
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17Does the tool have an offline functionality?→Discusses whether the tool has the ability to collect data without access to the Internet.
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18Where is the CHW data stored?→This describes where the data collected by the CHWs is stored.
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19What is the source of logistics data used by CHWs to enter in the mobile application (e.g., paper form, eLMIS, physical count, stock reporting)→This question asks for the source of data collected by the application.
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20Are there any data limits for the total number of users and products/line items?→
This question asks for any limitations to the number of users and total products within the application.
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21Which if any additional data sources are integrated or interoperable with the tool? (e.g., DHIS2, OpenMRS, etc.)→This question asks if the application is interoperable with other applications.
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IMPLEMENTATION22For which level(s) within the supply chain can the tool be used→List the various levels at which the tool can be used.
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23What are the associated costs for subscription/hosting/maintenance?→Discusses the costs associated with subscription hosting and maintenance.
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24How long is the data stored and available for use by the program or country?→
This question asks for the length of time the data is made available to the country/program.
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TRAINING25What is the process for training CHWs on the use of the mobile application?→Describe the training methodology on the use of mobile applications for CHWs.