Implementation lessons on the use of innovation in information technology in the developing world

Information Technology (IT) innovation and its impact on health care is of particular relevance to the developing world, which spends a fraction of what health systems spend in OECD countries. Given the issues of accessibility, affordability and quality health services in the developing world, IT can play an important role by bringing marginalized communities closer to health care systems. Aga Khan University (AKU) and the eHealth Resource Center (eHRC), which are part of Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), are active in the developing regions of East Africa, Central Asia and South East Asia and are currently initiating new changes in the use of IT and also the manner in which it is deployed. The eHealth programmes implemented and the lessons learned by AKU and eHRC in achieving its core values of impact, access, relevance, and quality through implementation of these innovations are described. These can be of value to health systems and academic medical centres in the developing world wanting to leverage scarce resources to create meaningful impact using IT.