SHINE OS+, an electronic medical record and referral system initiated by PLDT wireless unit Smart Communications, has been adapted in Nepal as a tool for disaster risk reduction.
Dr Regina Estuar of Ateneo Java Wireless Competency Center (AJWCC) recently conducted a workshop on the SHINE (Secured Health Information Network and Exchange) open source platform with the Nursing Association of Nepal in Kathmandu. Smart has worked with AJWCC in developing SHINE OS+.
SHINE OS+ Nepal was developed as a post-disaster surveillance system in 2015. Now called EpiNurse (Epidemiology + Nursing) for Disaster Risk Reduction, the program will serve as a public health emergency reduction tool for the country. The program is seen as crucial in preventing disease outbreaks and consequently mitigating disaster risk.
According to Dr Estuar, EpiNurse provides a holistic approach by empowering nurses in Nepal not only in care management but also in surveillance reporting during the different phases of a disaster.
“EpiNurse will be powered by SHINE OS+ in developing three applications that will allow EpiNurses to collect data at the school and community levels for preparedness, as well as surveillance data during and post-disaster,” she said. “The system will be simple, straightforward and localized so that the language and the design suit the Nepal culture and community.”
Estuar also said it was possible to apply the same technology for public health monitoring in the Philippines. “EpiNurse aims to provide a global standard in disaster surveillance.”
Last May, EpiNurse received the Risk Award at the 2017 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Cancun, Mexico. The award, issued every two years by the Munich Re Foundation, the UN office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) and the Global Risk Forum Davos, honors innovations aimed at disaster risk mitigation.
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