At a glance
To improve its disaster field-patient journey this global humanitarian services organization harnessed a robust data collection and operation solution powered by Azure PaaS and Atos.
Outcomes
By enhancing the data collection process, volunteers working in disaster zones can:
- Effectively manage digital patient data, regardless of connectivity
- Synchronize data offline and online
- Provide quicker, more detailed reporting to the World Health Organization (WHO)
- Enable faster decisions and proactive aid
- Protect data and privacy
This global humanitarian organization, with a significant volunteer community, works toward the greater good of humanity. Despite demanding situations and difficult environments, the efforts of volunteers help deliver aid and comfort to vulnerable people before, during and after disasters and health emergencies.
In pursuit of an anywhere application
The organization needed a field patient journey solution to support its humanitarian missions with faster decision-making and a more streamlined way to manage and deploy its staff. To achieve this goal, they decided to do away with its existing manual, paper-based data collection process.
However, the new solution needed to stand up to use in volatile, often remote locations with unreliable or non-existent connectivity, such as those affected by civil unrest, tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. It needed the scalability, high availability, and modular functionality of a modern application, while overcoming high latency, low bandwidth, and unreliable connectivity. This was no small task.
Another critical requirement was the need for a seamless user experience and online-offline data synchronization, to discourage medics and volunteers from falling back to the paper-based process in the event of an emergency or loss of connectivity.
They turned to Atos to help develop the solution, based on its experience designing similar bulletproof remote workplace solutions for utilities and critical infrastructure.
A digital solution with a humanitarian angle
Atos worked with the client team to design a solution that would support different landscapes and scenarios. The teams collaborated closely from brainstorming and ideation sessions to production, and development of the solution.
The solution targeted different platforms and landscapes, including an offline backpack version, a semi-connected version, and a connected version in the cloud. Designed to provide the maximum possible code reuse, all components were developed using the C# programming language and harnessed Microsoft Azure PaaS for full integration with the Microsoft ecosystem.
It also incorporated security by design by utilizing the latest DevSecOps and everything-as-a-code techniques. The new application leveraged the combined power of the Microsoft Azure environment with a robust DevOps strategy, CI/CD pipeline with AppCenter, Application Insight and LogAnalytics for alerts. Auto scaling and budget management rules ensure the right sizing and prevent over consumption. This fully integrated approach accelerated the development cycles, making it possible to collect feedback early and make changes accordingly.
Access to information when it matters most
The solution will be used to facilitate patient management in the health emergency response units (ERU) where informed clinical decision-making is critical. Simplified reporting helps monitor and improve the quality of care, and rapid clinical data analysis allows for surveying and detecting potential outbreaks. It also streamlines staff management and drug and consumables stock management and supply.
The Azure-based offline-online data synchronisation provides a faster turnaround time for data collection, insights, and reports to share with WHO. The secure privacy designs have a flexible architecture that supports different use cases and future needs. It also enables clear and transparent access to information for watertight audit trails. With this unified and modularized application, this organization has enhanced its overall data collection processes and is now poised to support the needs of its many national societies and organize cross-national operations.
Why Atos for Microsoft Azure PaaS
With more than 1,500 Azure-certified resources, Atos has advanced specializations in Kubernetes on Microsoft Azure, SAP on Microsoft Azure, Windows Server and SQL server migration to Microsoft Azure. Atos is a Microsoft Azure Expert Managed Services provider, providing end-to-end cloud lifecycle management including assessing, migrating, building, deploying, optimizing, and efficiently managing business solutions on Microsoft Azure with well-defined Decarbonization Level Agreements (DLAs).