New Study Examines the Role of Blockchain-Based Data Capture and Cryptographic Incentives in Improving Patient Outcomes
MMUST, the first university of technology and innovation in Kenya, and Immunize.Lifea transformative and empowered blockchain-secured healthcare ecosystem, has entered into a partnership that will leverage the academic and research prowess of MMUST and the advanced technology infrastructure of Immunify.Life to solve the problem of data miscollection. patient data, patient relapses and alignment errors. incentives with a particular focus on HIV positive patients in Kenya.
In the innovative new study, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MUST) and Immunify.Life will use blockchain technology to redesign processes for capturing, transmitting and sharing health data and treatment incentives to improve health outcomes for HIV-positive patients in Kenya.
This will be a 5-year collaborative effort, with the main objective being to improve patient outcomes and strengthen the performance of the Kenyan health system. By carefully designing clinical studies in different parts of Kenya and addressing key health issues facing some of the country’s most vulnerable populations, MMUST and Immunify.Life hope to accurately identify risk factors, causes and barriers that HIV-positive patients face in acquiring HIV, receiving treatment and adhering to their care regimens.
A key feature of the first study – which will begin in August – will be the use of Immunify.Life’s token reward system to improve treatment adherence in HIV/AIDS patients. All relevant approvals (in particular from the Institutional Ethics Board and the National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation) have been granted to MMUST for the use of the Immunify.Life technology platform for this study .
Although Kenya has achieved a number of UNAIDS HIV 2020 targets, the country still has a long way to go, especially in the areas of effective and sustainable ART (antiretroviral treatment – the treatment primary source of HIV/AIDS). About 70% of adults living with HIV in Kenya have access to treatment, but treatment coverage for children under 15 is less than about 60%. In Kakamega County, where the MMUST and Immunify.Life study will be conducted, prevalence, infection, and relapse rates are high among men, women, and children, making it the perfect place to a comprehensive and data-intensive study on HIV/AIDS. and the socio-economic, political and related challenges that prevent people from receiving the treatments available to them.
Study objectives
The primary objective of the first study is to investigate the effectiveness of incentives and paperless tracking systems on HIV treatment outcomes in the low socioeconomic background of Kakamega County. Other objectives of the study include:
- To test the effectiveness of cryptography-based token rewards on HIV/AIDS treatment adherence in patients with suspected treatment failure in Kakamega County;
- Assess the impact of token reward systems on healthcare providers;
- Identify the socio-economic factors that hinder the retention of HIV-positive patients suspected of treatment failure;
- Development and testing of an integrated cloud-based system to improve treatment compliance for HIV/AIDS patients suspected of treatment failure.
The HIV Treatment Outcomes Study is the perfect opportunity for MMUST, Immunify.Life and other official partners and organizations such as Kenyan health policy makers and strategists to conduct a real-world test of the effectiveness of crypto-based rewards and blockchain-based data. capture and share on HIV treatment adherence rates. The technologies at play have the power to dramatically improve treatment adherence and empower patients, communities and entire countries, and this study hopes to prove beyond doubt the benefits of an integrated blockchain-based approach to tackling some of the world’s most important health issues. challenges.
Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology is an innovative technology-focused university in Kenya. With approximately 17,000 students enrolled, the university focuses on international collaboration. It has a partnership with an NGO called Save the Children Fund which employs 25,000 people in 117 countries.
The Immunize.Life The team says its mission is to “transform the landscape of health management and data use” by strengthening global health systems and access to health data “through a data capture tool incentive developed for the disease registry Immunify.Life”. The organization hopes to grow organically by expanding its patient base by working with various government entities, NGOs and donors.