Innovation and Evidence Synthesis Team
The Innovation and Evidence Synthesis Team drives ACSIS’s mission to strengthen health systems by generating, translating and applying evidence for impact. The team identifies emerging innovations, synthesizes research findings and translates insights into actionable strategies that inform policy and practice. By bridging implementation science with real-world learning, the team ensures that interventions are contextually grounded and sustainable.
ViTALS (Virtual Triage, Appointment, Literacy Support and Surveillance)
ViTALS is an innovative digital call center model designed to strengthen the link between clients and health facilities through remote, personalized engagement. Operating as a centralized hub staffed by trained health professionals, ViTALS provides triage, appointment management, health literacy education and follow-up support, all delivered via phone.
Through targeted outbound and inbound calls, the platform helps clients navigate the healthcare system, whether it’s reminding a pregnant woman of her upcoming ANC visit, answering questions about postnatal danger signs or triaging symptoms that may need immediate attention. Integrated with broader facility workflows and digital tools, ViTALS is designed for scalability and sustainability. It complements in-person services by offering responsive, human-centered care beyond facility walls.
In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, mobile applications have emerged as a vital tool for enhancing healthcare delivery, particularly in low-resource settings where gaps in access, information and follow-up persist as persistent challenges.
Through the development of purpose-built mobile apps tailored to local needs, ACSIS aims to equip frontline health workers with digital tools that support clinical decision-making and learning. These apps are developed with the realities of the field in mind, including offline functionality and user-friendly design to ensure wide usability even in rural and underserved areas.
Improving maternal health outcomes begins with reimagining how care is delivered, not just through clinical practices, but also by transforming the physical environments where care takes place. Our integrated care Redesign and Facility Renovation initiative addresses both the structure and the system of care, creating high-impact changes that support safer, more dignified and client-centered SRH services.
We start by mapping existing workflows, identifying bottlenecks and inefficiencies in service delivery and engaging health workers and clients to co-design better solutions. We invest in physical infrastructure improvements, renovating outdated spaces into clean, functional and welcoming environments. Whether it's creating dedicated ANC rooms, improving ventilation and privacy or reconfiguring patient flow between examination, counseling and waiting areas, each modification is based on human-centered design and infection prevention principles.
We discussed how strengthening referral linkages, task-sharing, digital supervision and data use can reduce delays and improve outcomes for mothers and newborns in under-served settings. This aligns directly with ACSIS’s systems-thinking approach, linking service delivery, governance, financing and community engagement to ensure that every mother receives high-quality, respectful and effective care
ACSIS had the privilege of participating in the Transforming African MedTech Conference (TAMC), a dynamic gathering of innovators, entrepreneurs, policymakers and health technology experts from across the continent.
The conference served as a catalyst for collaboration, promoting shared visions for advancing Africa’s MedTech ecosystem and addressing its most pressing healthcare challenges through innovation
The discussions spotlighted cutting-edge medical technologies designed to strengthen health systems, improve care delivery, and ensure sustainability across Africa.
For ACSIS, the event was a valuable opportunity to reflect on the current state of African MedTech, exchange insights that can shape its future, and explore partnerships that drive scalable and sustainable impact
ACSIS participated in the 7th International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP) held in Bogotá, Colombia, a global platform bringing together researchers, policymakers, advocates and implementers committed to advancing reproductive health and rights. The conference’s focus on innovation, equity and resilience in family planning strongly resonated with ACSIS’s mission to strengthen primary healthcare and expand access to quality reproductive and maternal health services in Africa.
Through our participation, we contributed to the global dialogue on how health system transformation, evidence-based practice and locally led innovation can bridge gaps in access and equity, particularly in low-resource settings
ACSIS presented both oral and poster sessions on two critical themes: “Ensuring Equitable Access to Lifesaving Cesarean Delivery: Improving Operative Delivery Access in Rural Ethiopian Primary Healthcare Settings” and “Cervical Cancer Service Integration for Improved Screening Services.”
These sessions highlighted our implementation experiences in strengthening emergency obstetric care through primary healthcare optimization, workforce empowerment, referral system redesign and collaboration