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Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Gates Foundation Invites Submissions for Child Medical Record Design Competition

RFP Summary

RFP NumberSOL1093111
Open Date: June 4, 2013  
Proposals Due: October 31, 2013
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is seeking help to redesign the look and feel of child health records.  A redesigned health record will not only increase accuracy but also make medical records easier to interpret and use. 

Context

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Child health records serve at least five functions in a health system:
  1. A unique identifier that is intimately connected to the child
  2. A source of critical information for health workers about the child’s health and vaccination status, and what the child needs at each point of contact with the health system
  3. A source of critical information for families, such as date of next visit for vaccination
  4. A source of critical information for household surveys, which many countries and policymakers rely on to validate coverage levels obtained from administrative data systems
  5. An educational tool for families to learn more about health interventions
However, child health records may fail to serve these functions for a variety of reasons. Many families never receive health records for their children, or, if they do receive them, they can be easily lost. In many cases, records are not accurately filled out because they are designed in a confusing way.
Accurate and accessible records are needed to maintain accurate health histories for children, identify those who need to be immunized, and those who have missed immunizations or are off schedule. When the record is unclear, inaccessible or unused, it’s harder to reach children with life-saving vaccines.
The foundation will recognize the top entries - selected by a panel including Melinda Gates (co-chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), Robert Fabricant (Vice President, Frog Design), Dr. Margaret Chan (Director General, World Health Organization), Tony Lake (Executive Director,UNICEF), and Dr. Walt Orenstein (Professor of Medicine, Emory University) — with awards of up to $50,000.  Top designs may be piloted in as many as ten countries by 2018. We are looking for innovative ideas that will:
  • improve the child health record;
  • strengthen information systems; and
  • empower health workers and families to protect children from vaccine-preventable diseases and ultimately save lives.

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