Table 1 Applying the Reverse Innovation Criteria: Uganda Health Information Network (UHIN)
Brief description of initiative: An information network for community health workers using low-cost PDAs and cellular networks to collect and share critical health data | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Step 1 | Â | Â | Â |
Criteria | Description | Score | Rationale |
 1. Accessibility | Innovation increases access of products or services through increasing affordability, geographic access, and/or social access. | 4 | The program provides community health workers with PDAs that automatically load public health data to a centralized data bank. This helps with disease surveillance to ensure the right medicines and services are directed where needed. |
 2. Cost Effectiveness | Innovation improves cost effectiveness to payer, provider, or end user. | 5 | A study by independent consultants reported a savings of 25% per unit compared to traditional manual paper data collection. |
 3. Scalability | Innovation increases scope, geographic cover, or customer base. | 4 | There are 700 health workers in the program. There are 175 remote health facilities in the country that now have PDA capability, serving 1.5 million people. |
 4. Effectiveness | Documentation of effectiveness of innovation using appropriate evaluative methods | 3 | The cost-effectiveness of the program has been evaluated by independent consultants. The program is currently evaluating its health impact on healthcare planning, resource allocation, and delivery. |
| Â | TOTAL SCORE | 16 | Conclusion: Move to Step 2 |
Step 2 | Â | Â | Â |
Criteria | Description | Score | Rationale |
 5. Gap in Target HIC | Creating solutions for unsolved (or imperfectly solved) challenges or unaddressed health issues or service gaps. | 5 | Information integration and digitalization, with particular attention to cost control, are extremely important challenges for the Canadian health system. |
 6. Compatibility | Compatible with healthcare infrastructure in the target HIC. | 3 | It is unclear how this information system would be regulated in the Canadian context, particularly with privacy considerations. However, the system could likely be adapted to meet Canadian regulations. |
 7. Novelty | The innovation is a novel approach or an established innovation used in a new way that has great promise. | 4 | PDAs and smartphones remain a relatively innovative, uncommon tool for health data collection in Canada. |
 8. Receptivity | Openness and engagement of partners as well as those not considered partners but who may be impacted by the innovation. | 4 | The IDRC and former CIDA are the primary funders of this initiative, suggesting strong connections to Canada. |
|  | TOTAL SCORE | 16 | Conclusion: Score is ≥16. Likely to be a reverse innovation. |