Nigeria’s foremost innovation centre, Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB) has partnered with Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) to launch a digital patient care tool to promote adherence to treatment. The digital tool is an app called NimCure. The launch, which held at the NIMR complex in Yaba was attended by key stakeholders in the public and private health sector.
The NimCure app is used to promote adherence to treatment by TB patients. Using the NimCure app, patients are paired with caregivers who support and manage treatment remotely. The app innovates around the current method of treatment, Direct Observe Therapy (DOT) by the use of vDOT (video Direct Observe Therapy).
With NimCure, patients are able to record short videos to log their daily dosage. Other features of the app include enabling patients to track treatment progress, receive key notifications and reminders as well as contact their caregivers. Caregivers, through the NimCure Care app, are able to monitor patient treatment including assessing video submissions, manage patient treatment progress and contact them directly.
With support from Samsung, CcHUB is providing mobile phones to patients and caregivers for the duration of the pilot. The devices will also come equipped with SIM cards and data plans. The medical trial will commence this week with 30 patients and 6 caregivers.
