In Ghana WhatsApp is commonly used for coordinating Clinical Care.
My own personal experience is with our newborn referral platform in the Ashanti Region where sick newborns needing referral are put on the platform to see which facility can take them.
Facilities also regularly update the members about the availability of cots, oxygen, phototherapy, CPAP machines etc.
When the details of the baby are put on the platform, it also affords the opportunity for Pediatricians and others to make input into the management at the admitting facility and also to give feedback as to the outcome of the baby at the referral center.
It works fairly well especially when combined with phone calls and has reduced some of the delays in referrals where facilities were not sure where to send cases, or would arrive unannounced.
Gyikua Plange-Rhule, Paediatrician
Kumasi, Ghana
CHIFA profile: Gyikua Plange-Rhule is a Paediatrician at the KNUST School of Medical Sciences, Kumasi, Ghana. Professional interests: Newborn Care, Birth Defects Lactation Management, Medical Law and Ethics, Paediatrician to the Cleft Lip and Palate Clinic. gprhule AT gmail.com
