Seminar to review maternal research data and ‘electronic tool’ for maternal-newborn records (e-MNR), Pokhara

On 3rd January 2025, GlohMed organized a 1-day workshop to review the study data related to antenatal and newborn care in Dhaulagiri Hospital and gather feedback on the electronic tool for maternal-newborn data records (e-MNR), an e-Tool developed by GlohMed team. The event held in Pokhara brought together key stakeholders of maternal newborn health, including Dr. Kiran Tiwari, Medical Superintendent of Dhaulagiri Hospital (also a GlohMed investigator); Mr. Ramesh Prasad Adhikari (Senior Health Education Administrator) and Ms. Anju Poudel (Hospital Nursing Administrator) from the Health Directorate of Gandaki Province; clinicians from Dhaulagiri Hospital and Matri Sishu Miteri Hospital (Mother-Child Friendship Hospital); as well as software developers and digital health experts. GlohMed investigators shared preliminary findings of an ongoing maternal health project in Nepal, as a part of “Get Ready, Get Real”, including the tendency of pregnant women to attend ANC clinics and records of adverse events of special interest (AESI) such as preterm births, stillbirths, neonatal and maternal deaths, and congenital malformations. An additional session highlighted the importance of implementing electronic medical records (EMR) in health facilities, particularly the role of an electronic tool for maternal-newborn records (‘e-MNR’) to streamline maternal and newborn data management and enhance service delivery. GlohMed has recently developed such e-Tool with technical support from “D-Code Technology” and piloted it in two government hospitals. The participants also discussed on the current status of EMR systems in Gandaki Province, short- and long-term plans of the Provincial Health Directorate to implement EMR, particularly the “Pregnancy tracking services” and feasibility and benefits of integrating Maternal-newborn ‘e-Tool’ in the EMR. This seminar served as a valuable platform for disseminating study findings, fostering collaborative discussions to improve maternal-newborn services and data record systems in health facilities across Gandaki Province.