Relevant Stakeholders Engaged in the Human-Centered Design Approach of a Digital System in Nigeria
| Stakeholder | |
|---|---|
| Patients | This included any suspected or high-risk persons who may be experiencing symptoms of the virus or may have been in contact with confirmed or probable cases and want to get tested or are required to get tested. |
| Health Facilities and Test Center Administrators | These were either specialized COVID-19 test centers or general health care facilities that have the capacity to run a significantly high number of tests daily to receive insights from other health care administrators that may benefit the solution focused on COVID-19. A key stakeholder in this category is NIMR, and in the case of this project, they provide all the necessary testing tools and infrastructure required to run the drive-through test center. NIMR personnel also served as the center administrators and lab managers. The role of the center administrators was to manage the drive-through system and oversee the collection of test samples. The lab managers were NIMR scientists responsible for running the tests, validating, and reporting results to the relevant authorities. |
| Lifebank | Health care technology and logistics company that is known for applying technology in solving health care problems. Lifebank took on the role of digital platform administrators and managed activities such as contacting patients, sending invites, while also supervising the use of the platform by other stakeholders (NIMR and patients) during the design process. As delivery partners for the test center, it was essential to engage NIMR and Lifebank teams in the design process, particularly in brainstorming sessions and product testing to encourage their buy-in and drive equity. |
| Government Institutions and Policy Makers | Timely and accurate data is critical in aiding government institutions better make strategic and timely decisions regarding the pandemic. The NCDC is the country’s public health institute responsible for the preparedness, detection, and response to infectious disease outbreaks and public health emergencies. As Nigeria’s foremost public health institute, data on all tests conducted daily were reported to NCDC representatives on the ground. Insights gathered from this data helped to coordinate national public health responses and policy making. The NCDC personnel were indirectly engaged through our partnership with NIMR to understand the most important data types and formats to them. |
| The Research Community and the General Public | The importance of accurate, complete, and timely data for research in public health cannot be underestimated as the insight gathered by the research community contributes to the body of knowledge available for the general public and policy makers. The system strengthens the integrity of data collected and analyzed by researchers which will, in turn, ensure accurate insights and better understanding and management of the pandemic. |
Abbreviations: COVID-19, coronavirus disease; NCDC, Nigeria Center for Disease Control; NIMR, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research.