HIV smART Monitor - A Health Care System that Monitors Pediatric Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Drug Dosages

The Desire Society is an NGO in Hyderabad that offers HIV infected destitute children, free medication, accommodation and food. It is imperative that the children receive proper medication and nutrition, to ensure that the disease does not progress at alarming rates and is kept under control. A key element required to ensure a success in treatment is proper adherence to the Antiretroviral Therapy(ART) drug schedule prescribed for individual patients. ART drugs should be given in specific combinations and dosages and this combination will differ from child to child. thus making it difficult for the doctors to monitor dosages for a large group of young patients. This research project is an attempt to create a Health Care System called HIV smART Monitor for the Desire society that can be used to monitor correct adherence to the ART drug schedule, drug combination and drug dosage for the infected HIV children. The project has currently been implemented in the Hyderabad office and orphanage of the Desire Society, where it is being successfully used by doctors and the healthcare workers.