By SAVIOUS KWINIKA
JOHANNESBURG – A global award-winning cloud-based solution is improving the quality of life among women in Africa and shielding them from the deadly cervical cancer.
Hailed as the first of its kind, the Emerging Technologies in Cervical Cancer Screening (ETiCCS) is a brainchild of SAP’s Design and Co-Innovation Centre and Heidelberg University Hospital in Germany.
In line with the United Nations’ top third goal of Good Health & Well-Being, They have optimised a cervical cancer screening test that combines applied medical research with the power of innovative SAP cloud technology.
ETiCCS, the digitized screening test, scooped first prize of the dmi:Design Value Award in 2016 for improving lives according to user-centered design principles.
“This is a special award for SAP as it reinforces our vision and commitment to help the world run better and improve people’s lives, while supporting the 17 sustainable development goals of the UN,” says Dr Gilbert Saggia, Managing Director at SAP East Africa.
“The screening technology is the first to combine applied medical research with the power of cutting edge cloud technology and user-centered design principles for cervical cancer. SAP is very excited about this achievement as we continue to uncover the underlying challenges of cancer screening in Africa and other emerging countries,” adds Saggia.
In Kenya, the cervical cancer screening test was piloted during a one-year study, and was tested on a total of 800 women at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret.
Cervical cancer is the second most common cause of death for women worldwide and ranks the deadliest in Kenya.
Although it is preventable, most eligible women have never been screened and have no access to healthcare resources.
The screening in Kenya is ongoing and the plan is to include countrywide self-sampling and IoT scenarios (lab equipment integration), pattern recognition, deep learning, remote diagnostics support and validation.
SAP is looking for additional strategic partners with a passion for improving people’s lives and strengthening Africa’s healthcare systems.
“The aim for SAP East Africa is to collaborate towards a global 2030 vision for user-centered design and cloud technology to improve cancer screening and further uncover the underlying challenges of cancer screening in emerging countries,” adds Saggia.
With the help of technology such as SAP HANA Cloud Platform, the user centred solution runs on a single platform across multiple roles which enables seamless communication between all parties, even in very remote areas and environments with unstable Internet connectivity.
Thanks to role-specific data entry the solution is easy to use and access to patient data and test results are immediately available to the local hospital and to Heidelberg University Hospital.
Through the use of the technology, medical staff have now reduced paperwork meaning no duplication or opportunities for human error to affect test results. The medical records are safely stored in the cloud providing instant access to results.
This enables labs to accelerate the screening process and empower medical staff through improved quality control embedded in the screening process. Real-time access to data and reporting, fully compliant with data privacy and security requirements, means labs can make informed diagnoses regardless of location or region.
Prof. Magnus von Knebel Doeberitz, Medical Director, Department of Applied Tumor Biology, Institute of Pathology, Heidelberg University Hospital, says through the ETiCCS program, we were able to complement applied medical research around biomarkers with the power of cutting edge cloud technology to bring co-innovation to Africa in a way which really helps to improve people’s lives.”
The app will be made available through SAP to other interested countries in Africa as a custom development solution.
Saggia says the project is another milestone in SAP`s attempt to address the challenge of adequately screening for and treating cancer.
‘It is not only about building great software to help the world run better, but also creating a positive impact in society and improving people’s lives,” adds Saggia.
– CAJ News