Our technology
The Neotree platform consists of an android app with accompanying data visualisation, linkage and export.
Neotree technology is developed in partnership with clinicians to ensure it is user-friendly, adaptable to the local context and has local ownership. It uses low-cost hardware and state-of-the-art software. We are innovating for immediate impact – the platform is open source and fully replicable, so countries that adopt it have complete ownership of both the technology and the resulting data. We are also working with Ministries of Health to integrate the app with national databases to ensure long-term sustainability. We are research-led and committed to building a solid, scientific evidence base for everything we do, including understanding the impact of the Neotree technology.
The key features of Neotree’s technology
Clinical decision support
The Neotree mobile app guides healthcare workers to perform all relevant checks when babies are admitted into and discharged from the neonatal ward, and provides clinical management support as they provide care at the babies’ bedside. This clinical management support is adaptable to local context and resources.
Data collection and visualisation
Data are captured as part of the structured workflow in the mobile app on admission, discharge and from the laboratory results.
Anonymised data are made available for clinicians and hospital administrators to monitor trends over time including opportunities to improve care in the wards.
Clinicians and health care workers have access to reporting and dashboards so that they can work directly with the data.
Highly configurable
The technology can be localised to fit the work practices and equipment availability at each hospital.
The entire mobile application can be configured by a clinician without any specialist technology knowledge, via an easy-to-use web editor. The webeditor enables clinicians and hospital administrators to configure:
- The sequence of questions that are asked, and the conditions that trigger particular checks
- The advice that is given in the case that a check is required or treatment needs to be administered, based on local availability of equipment
- The algorithms that suggest diagnoses, so that these can be configured to national and international best practice
Integration with national health systems
The technology is designed to be integrated with national healthcare systems. It has demonstrated ability to integrate into the national Electronic Health Record system being rolled out in Zimbabwe, and to the most common aggregate data system for healthcare in sub saharan Africa: the DHISv2.
Open source
Within our international team, we are co-developing the technology with healthcare professionals to optimise usability and local ownership and control. The technology and data generated is locally owned and managed. All the Neotree technology is made freely available under the open source MIT license, and is available on GitHub.
Software development team:
Yali Sassoon
Danie Krige
Louis Du Toit
Morris Baradza
Farai Matare