Most of the seven million Americans who upgrade to a new PDA every year simply throw their used one away or put it in a drawer not knowing what to do with it. Skyscape and SATELLIFE are creating a “Global Supply Line” that will eliminate this waste and put old handheld devices to good use–by donating them to physicians in Africa. Skyscape will equip these handheld devices with mobile medical references enabling health practitioners in the developing world to access the latest medical information while working in rural areas. This program begins December 1, 2004 (World AIDS Day).
“Like cell phones, PDA turnover is high as new models are introduced. This holiday season many PDAs will be retired, but these can be put to good use: helping doctors in developing nations provide better healthcare,” said Sandeep Shah, CEO of Skyscape. “For more than a decade we have been developing different ways by which mobile medicine can improve healthcare. Now teaming with SATELLIFE, Skyscape is bringing these benefits to the farthest corners of the world.”
Anyone wishing to donate their used PDA should visit, www.skyscape.com/AIDSDAY for more information.
Skyscape will equip the donated devices with a suite of integrated titles–including Griffith’s 5-Minute Clinical Consult, Johns Hopkins Hospital 2002 Guide to Medical Care of Patients with HIV Infection, Harrison’s Manual of Medicine and A to Z Drugs. These references offer detailed coverage of information that is critical for the treatment of AIDS patients.
SATELLIFE will distribute the PDAs to doctors in Uganda and other East African countries as part of its existing initiative to fight the spread of AIDS in Africa and improve medical care by providing doctors the most current treatment guidelines and references.
Making a Difference
“Outside of a few select hospitals, most doctors in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have access to the latest medical information – which is essential for providing the highest quality of medical care,” said Holly Ladd, executive director, SATELLIFE. “By providing doctors with the references they need on handheld devices, we can ensure they get out to the clinics and rural areas where they can have the most significant impact.”
Physicians in Uganda frequently travel half a day to treat a patient in rural areas. They cannot bring what few references they own with them, which means if it is not a simple issue, patients may not receive the proper treatment for days. With a PDA, physicians can stay at the patient’s bedside, check for available drugs to treat the condition, and treat the patient immediately.
The donated PDAs will be tested and shipped to Africa within a month, enabling the donation to have an immediate impact. SATELLIFE is working with the Makerere University in Uganda, a center for excellence in the research and treatment of AIDS and other clinics in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa. SATELLIFE will also handle the distribution of the devices and the training of the health practitioners who receive them.
Dr. Patrick Okello, Kampala, Uganda, who participated in an earlier program said, “The best gift you have given me is the PDA. Everything I need in my practice is here!”
The goal is to provide PDAs for at least 400 doctors, making it the largest donation program of its kind.
About SATELLIFE
For the past 15 years SATELLIFE, which was founded by Nobel Prize winning cardiologist Dr. Bernard Lown, has been a global leader in delivering health information to the world’s poorest countries. More than 20,000 health professionals in 150 countries, including doctors, nurses, medical students, researchers, government officials, and program managers, access SATELLIFE’s vital networks everyday.
About Skyscape
Skyscape is the leading provider of interactive, intelligent mobile solutions that improve the quality and efficiency of patient care and help reduce medical errors. Skyscape provides more than 240 of medicine’s most trusted and reputable medical references, from more than 30 major medical publishers, for over 35 medical specialties, all integrated via its patented smARTlink technology. Skyscape’s Constellation suites are all-in-one decision support solutions customized for individual specialties and include critical information on drugs, diseases, interactions, lab information, treatment options and guidelines. Skyscape has the largest installed base of paying customers in the industry, including hospitals, medical schools and individual practitioners at hundreds of leading institutions. Skyscape’s solutions are available on multiple platforms, including Palm OS(R), Windows(R) CE and Pocket PC. For more information about Skyscape, visit www.skyscape.com.
Skyscape and smARTlink are registered trademarks. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Contacts
Schwartz Communications, Inc.
Mark McClennan/Julie Goldman
781-684-0770
skyscape@schwartz-pr.com