WHO Family Planning Reference App featured in the PACE Project’s Digital Health Compendium

As low- and middle-income countries transition from paper to digital systems, family planning (FP) programs can benefit from unprecedented opportunities to improve services. The Digital Health Compendium from the PACE Project collects case studies to give policy and program decisionmakers insights on real-world applications of digital health, promising practices, and challenges that can be applied to FP programs.

Recently the WHO FP Reference App case study was published, examining the benefits of using reference apps as a starting point for digital health programs, instead of building from scratch. Ona developed the WHO FP Reference App on top of OpenSRP, using the same methodology developed for the WHO Antenatal Care Reference App. The FP app allows frontline health workers to register and screen women and men for medical eligibility of FP methods. It includes clinical logic and workflows that walk healthcare providers through service provision, potential side effects, and required follow-up, including any refills or referrals required.

The WHO FP Reference App will be formally launched by WHO next year.