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1. Electronic Communication in Health
Health Informatics Group Work
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Ealroi Alemayehu
Berihun Aweke
Fekadesilassie Mozart

2. Introduction
• Electronic communication is the use of electronic media to transmit
information or messages using computers, e-mail, phone, video
calling and etc.
• Electronic communication in health has brought transformative
changes in information sharing, access, and utilization.
• Technologies like electronic medical records (EMRs), telemedicine,
and mobile health (mHealth) play a crucial role in this
transformation.
• Integration of electronic communication enhances data management
and accessibility.
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3. con’t
• Text messaging
• Video and audio conferencing
• Phone calls for appointment booking
• Sharing information through email
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4. Devices used
• Desktop and laptop Computers
• Mobile devices
• Tablets
• Specialized therapeutic hardware
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5. Types of Information Transmitted
• Patient data: This includes medical history, diagnoses,
treatments, medications, and immunization records.
• Public health data: This includes information about disease
outbreaks, surveillance data, and vaccination coverage.
• Educational materials: This includes health tips,
awareness campaigns, and disease prevention
information.
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6. Policy in place
• Ethiopia's Health Sector Transformation Plan (HSTP) prioritizes electronic delivery of
health information.
• The plan aims to shift from traditional information processing to a technology-driven
system
• This group of indicators reports on the policy and legislative environment of eHealth in a
country.
• aim to show the degree of protection and control that individuals have of their health-
related data in a digital environment.
• Key policies and regulations:
• Personal Data Protection Proclamation: Guarantees privacy for personal data,
including health information.
• National Health Policy and Strategy: Promotes telemedicine and EHRs while ensuring
data security and privacy.
• Ethiopian Telecommunications Agency (ETA) Directives: Regulate
telecommunications, particularly mHealth services, with focus on user consent, data
protection, and content control.
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7. strategies
• Strategic directions are interventions or initiatives that will be
implemented to achieve the objectives of the HIS strategic plan.
• Establish security standards and guidelines for data access, storage,
processing, information exchange, and sharing.
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8. Security mechanism implemented
•Technical Safeguards:
• Data Encryption: Scrambles sensitive data to render it unreadable
without authorized access, protecting it both during storage and
transmission.
• Access Controls: Establishes strict rules determining who can access
patient data based on their role and authorization level, preventing
unauthorized viewing.
• Audit Logs: Tracks and records user activity within the system,
enabling accountability and aiding in the detection of potential security
breaches.
• Firewalls and Antivirus Software: Shields health information systems
from external threats such as malware and hacking attempts.
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9. • Real-time information flow in Ethiopia’s health communication
likely involves the use of various channels such as mobile apps, text
messaging and online platforms to disseminate updates on health
related matters.
• Includes information on disease outbreak, prevention measures,
vaccination campaigns, other public health initiatives.
• There are social media platforms for timely communication.
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10. Challenges and opportunities:
• While Ethiopia's real-time electronic communication system
offers immense potential, there are still challenges to
overcome. These include:
• Limited internet access and infrastructure in rural areas.
• Data security concerns and the need for robust privacy
protection measures.
• Ensuring affordability and equitable access to
technology for all citizens.
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11. IS for Electronic communication
1. Electronic Medical Records (EMRs):
• Store and manage patient data (history, diagnoses, treatments, etc.)
• Improve data accessibility and management
• Increasingly used, with 51.85% adoption rate
2. Telemedicine Platforms:
• Connect patients with specialists remotely, particularly in rural areas
• COVID-19 Ethiopia: Training platform for health workers
• Tenaye :Educational platform for sexual and reproductive health, mental
health adolescent
• LSSYA : a virtual psychotherapy platform that connects users with
psychologists
online
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12. IS cont’d
3. mHealth Applications:
• To create a two-way communication among health workers like sharing
documents, video, audio and educational messages, and questions and
answers
• mobile technology to support healthcare services
• WeCare: Promotes healthy lifestyles and monitors health data
• Hello Doctor Ethiopia: Mobile app for consultations and information
• Tenawo: Connects users with various healthcare providers and services
• Etege and Saba Health: digital platform that allows users to virtually learn about
Sexual and Reproductive health and rights issues.
4. Health Information Platforms:
• Share and exchange health information
• Ethiopia Health Information System (EHIS): National platform for health data
• Ethiopian Medical Journal Online: Access to medical research and publications
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13. The experience of other countries
• Different countries embrace electronic health tools at different levels due to
technology access, infrastructure, and cultural factors.
• United States and Europe: Highly technologically developed regions with
widespread adoption of electronic health records (EHRs), facilitating data
access and patient care coordination.
• Telemedicine: Significantly utilized, especially in rural and underserved
areas, enabling remote consultations and healthcare services.
• San Francisco Research Findings: patients are actively using email, text
messaging, and the internet, expressing interest in electronic communication
with healthcare professionals.
• Scandinavian Countries: Strong digital infrastructure supports seamless
exchange of health information.
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14. Experiences of other countries
• Developing Nations in Africa and Asia: Embrace mobile health (mHealth)
technologies, providing health interventions via mobile phones.
• Japan: Implemented the "Person-centered Open Platform for Wellbeing
(PeOPLe)" data system, collecting lifelong health data.
• Global Experience: Demonstrates the potential of electronic
communication in enhancing healthcare, but challenges like
interoperability, data security, and equal access remain significant
concerns.
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15. References
• Health Information System Strategic Plan. (n.d.).
http://dataverse.nipn.ephi.gov.et/bitstream/handle/123456789/1665/Health-Information-System-Strategic-Plan-
2020_21-2024_25.pdf?sequence=1
• Ethiopian National eHealth Strategic. (n.d.-a). https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/digital-health-
documents/global-observatory-on-digital-health/ethiopian_ehealth_strategy2014.pdf
• Ministry of health Ethiopia: DIRECTORY OF DIGITAL HEALTH SOLUTIONS IN ETHIOPIA. Addis Ababa:2022
• Al-Shorbaji N. Improving healthcare access through digital health: The use of information and communication
technologies. IntechOpen. 2022. DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.99607.
• A Digital Revolution in Ethiopia’s Community Health Program - JSI [Internet]. JSI; 2023 Mar 30 [cited 20231226].
Available from:https://www.jsi.com/strengthening-ethiopias-health-system-echis/
• Awual, Y., Abebe, D., & Ahmed, S. (2020). The potential of mobile health (mHealth) for improving maternal health
care in Ethiopia. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(8), 2955.
• Lessa, Lemma & George, Antonyo. (2022). Usability of Security Mechanisms of E-Health Applications: Cases from
Ethiopia.
• Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. THE NATIONAL INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION
TECHNOLOGY POLICYAND STRATEGY. Addis Ababa: Ministry of Communication and Information
Technology; 2022
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