Paper leads to preventable deaths in LMICs, but ShareMy.Health's Offline Mesh network is reinventing how countries connect families.

Paper is Deadly: Reinventing digital health without the internet

In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where health care resources are already stretched thin, the reliance on paper is a silent killer. The slow, manual processes involved in paper-based systems create delays in care, hinder communication, and ultimately lead to preventable deaths. The misconception that paper is the only option in areas with limited internet connectivity has trapped many organizations in a cycle of inefficiency and suboptimal patient outcomes.

Wasted time, lost lives

Paper records are plagued by two fundamental problems: speed and accuracy. Information is slow to be recorded, transmitted, and analyzed. Delays in data entry, transcription errors, and time-consuming manual searches impede decision-making and hinder timely interventions. Handwritten records are prone to errors, illegibility, and inconsistencies. Misinterpreted data can lead to misdiagnoses, inappropriate treatments, and adverse patient outcomes. These issues are particularly devastating in areas like malnutrition and maternal and child health, where rapid response and precise information are essential for survival.

One country took up to 3 months to copy results from paper and provide vital counsel to mothers about their children’s severe malnutrition, wasting 10% of each child’s first 1000 days. Inaccurate or missing data on pregnancy complications, birth history, and immunizations leads to suboptimal care, increased risks of maternal mortality, and compromised child development, keeping mother and child trapped in an intergenerational cycle of poverty. That we are fighting these outcomes is admirable, but our children and mothers deserve better than paper.

Ditch the paper

Digital health solutions like ShareMy.Health offer a powerful antidote to the perils of paper. By digitizing health records and enabling real-time data capture, these platforms address the challenges of speed and accuracy. Digital tools streamline data entry, reduce errors and enable faster analysis. Electronic records ensure data consistency and accessibility, improving decision-making. Real-time, parent-approved data sharing facilitates seamless collaboration among health care providers.

The #1 reason countries still cling to paper records is the persistent challenge of poor internet connectivity. This digital divide has long been a roadblock to implementing modern health care solutions. Smartphone adoption in LMICs is growing at 28% per year, but affordable internet is beyond the reach of most families and community health workers.

Some digital health solutions offer an "offline mode," allowing for basic data collection without an internet connection. While this may seem like a step forward, it has limitations. Offline data is siloed on individual devices for hours or days, creating delays in analysis, hindering collaboration, and delaying interventions. Shared hot spots, local area networks, and satellite connections are a nightmare in cost and complexity.

Connect without the internet

What if we could connect people without the internet? ShareMy.Health's Offline Mesh technology offers a groundbreaking solution, enabling health workers to communicate and share vital health data in real-time, even in the most remote areas.

The ShareMy.Health app reinvents digital health by creating a real-time communication network over Bluetooth LE directly between all devices within 100 meters. This empowers health workers to record data and share it instantly with their coworkers, orchestrating true team-based care. Our Offline Mesh also connects with smartphones owned by family members, engaging them in family-centered activities and education without an internet connection.

Across hundreds of workers and families, only one device needs to get online for all the latest data to be synced everywhere. Health information is then securely shared with central clinics, enabling immediate interventions, medication replenishment, and urgent services. ShareMy.Health connects families, communities, clinics, and nations – all without relying solely on the internet.

Quantifying the impact

These benefits extend far beyond improved efficiency. By saving lives and reducing the burden of disease, offline digital health generates significant economic returns.

According to the WHO, the economic burden of malnutrition is estimated to be $3.5 trillion per year, and maternal and newborn health complications add billions more. By connecting communities to improve health outcomes, we can reduce these costs. If those using ShareMy.Health decrease the economic burden by just 5%, they would save the global economy hundreds of billions of dollars annually.

Save more lives

Investing in offline digital health is not merely a technological upgrade; it's a moral imperative. By replacing paper with offline digital solutions, we can bridge the gaps in health care access and equity, saving millions of lives in the process.