The ART Access is an mHealth tool that links information for patients on ART and their viral load to an algorithm which guides a community pharmacy in dispensing ART without additional staff needs.
This tool supports the community pharmacy refill program which involves partnering with selected private community pharmacies within Kampala to conveniently provide low frequency high quality HIV services including ART refill for qualifying stable clients under IDI-KCCA care.
It was developed to support government health facilities in Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) including Kiswa, Kisenyi, Kawaala and Kitebi HCIVs which have over 25,000 HIV positive clients.
The magnitude of the clients seeking care in these KCCA facilities was straining the already existing limited resources and therefore resulting into high patient-health care worker ratios, congestion, patient frustration and long clinic waiting hours. These consequently translated into barriers to client retention and adherence to treatment.
This mode of operation is based on the WHO strategy of differentiated service delivery models that IDI is implementing; the community pharmacy refill program under the Kampala Health Project (KHP) in the KCCA facilities.
Functionality:

• The community pharmacy refill program requires a nurse at each pharmacy to record the patient data manually.
• The web based version was developed and piloted in 2 KCCA health facilities and 3 pharmacies since January 2019.
• The 2 pharmacies are attached to Kawaala HCIV (Shubh and Cedars) and one attached to Kiswa HCIV (Hefra pharmacy).
• By end of January 2020, 4112 patients were already enrolled on the tool.
• The mobile phone version of the tool is under development
• There is plan to scale up to more 20 pharmacies and all the KCCA health

The ART ACCESS app has been positively received by the relevant stakeholders including the end users, the ministry of health and KCCA senior health staff.