Custom healthcare systems composed around your specific operation.
Custom DHS projects cover referral networks, community health programmes, EMR bridges, and other systems that sit outside packaged products. Each engagement composes existing modules from the DHS library with new pieces written for the project, typically going live within eight to twelve weeks.
This project · 11 modules
Maternal health · 4 districts
8 from library · 3 built for this site
Custom builds composed from the DHS module library.
The DHS module library covers over 30 healthcare modules including patient access, callbacks, intake, records, lab integration, pharmacy, reporting, triage assistance, and telemedicine. A typical custom project pulls eight to twelve modules from the library and adds two to four new modules written specifically for the operation.
New modules built for one project become part of the shared library, so each subsequent custom build starts from a slightly broader foundation. This approach lets DHS deliver a working system within weeks rather than quarters.
Hospital
220 beds · Kigali
NGO
Maternal health · 4 districts
Foundation
Community programme · 60 CHWs
Custom projects follow a four-step process.
A maternal health programme across four districts and a single hospital adding a callback layer differ in scale but go through the same four steps inside DHS: define the workflow, pick the modules that fit, build the new pieces needed, and ship in stages with the client involved at every stage.
Listen on site
DHS spends five to ten days on site, observing reception, following cases through the building, and meeting the people who run the workflow today. Software design begins after this initial period.
Output →A workflow description in the team's own words, signed off by the clinical lead.
- 08:14Reception has 3 queues. No triage at the door.
- 09:02Records still on paper. Walked from reception to lab by hand.
- 10:30Most patients first reach us on WhatsApp.
- 11:48Front desk spends ~40% of the morning on calls.
- 13:15Lab waits queue up after lunch. Three retests today.
A shared module library across every project.
Every DHS build draws from a shared library of healthcare modules. Existing modules cover most workflows, while new modules built for a specific programme become available for future projects across the same library.
DHS module library
Every module we've built, available for every programme.
Patient access
Single inbox for channels
WhatsApp flows
Conversational intake
USSD menus
Works on any phone
SMS reminders
Confirmations · follow-ups
Voice intake
Phone-first triage
Callback workflow
Queued return calls
Intake structuring
Free text → fields
Triage assist
AI priority signals
Patient records
Longitudinal EMR
Records bridge
Into existing EMRs
Care team UI
Doctor · nurse · admin
Appointments
Booking · reminders
Telemedicine
Video · async consults
Lab integration
Orders · results
Pharmacy workflows
Prescriptions · stock
Reporting
Programme · ops · donor
Audit trail
Action and role logs
Mobile money
M-Pesa · MoMo · Airtel
Insurance claims
Public · private payers
Community health
CHW field workflows
Field intake
Offline-first forms
Connectivity sync
Resume when online
Multi-language
EN · SW · LG · FR · AR
Maternal health
Antenatal · postnatal
Every DHS programme is composed from this library. When something is missing for a setting, we build it and the library grows.
An illustrative module composition for a maternal health programme across four districts in Eastern Uganda.
Three illustrative custom projects.
The three scenarios below are composites assembled from the kinds of projects DHS runs regularly. Each one covers the operational constraint, the modules drawn from the library, and the new pieces written for the specific project.
- NGO · maternal health · field clinics
Antenatal care across four districts with low-connectivity field clinics.
A maternal health NGO operates antenatal clinics across four districts in Eastern Uganda. Most patients use feature phones, the network drops regularly, and referrals, follow-ups, and weekly reporting all need to work through intermittent connectivity. The programme lead needs cross-district visibility.
What we built
- USSD and SMS intake on the patient's existing phone
- Offline-first sync on clinic tablets with conflict-free merging when the network returns
- Paper-light field forms for community health workers walking long routes
- Programme reporting back to HQ in Kampala, exportable for the funding partner
Why this shape
USSD and SMS are first-class channels in this catchment, matching the phones available to most patients. DHS designs around the channels in use rather than assuming smartphone access.
DHS Field · USSD 2G*384*1#1. Antenatal reminder · M. on Tue 10am 2. Confirm clinic visit 3. Lab follow-up1Reminder sent to M. (parish · Kayunga). Reply when seen.Seen 14 patients · syncingOfflineLast sync · 14:02
22 records queued · waiting for network
- Hospital · callback layer · existing EMR
Adding a callback layer to a 220-bed hospital with an existing EMR.
The hospital already runs a clinical EMR that the team intends to keep in place. The front desk is overwhelmed by inbound calls, and the director would like to add WhatsApp and a structured callback queue. DHS provides the access and callback layer alongside the EMR with a clean integration between them.
What we built
- WhatsApp and phone inbound capture into a single shared queue
- A sorted daily callback list with case context prepared in advance
- A two-way bridge to the existing EMR via its standard API
- Operational reporting for the front desk manager and the medical director
Why this shape
Custom DHS projects can sit alongside existing healthcare software, providing the patient-facing access layer that the original system was never built to deliver.
Live Today's callback queueTue · 11:23Connected to existing EMR last sync · 11:21- 10:42 M.K. WhatsAppMild fever · 2 days · F · 34 Ready
- 10:58 A.O. PhoneLab result follow-up · M · 58 Scheduled
- 11:14 J.M. WhatsAppPost-op pain · F · 41 In call
- 11:20 S.B. SMSReschedule appointment · M · 27 Waiting
Inbound 38Handled 31Pending 7 - Foundation · community health · multi-district
A multi-district community health programme covering 60 community health workers.
A foundation operates a community health programme across four districts in Kenya. Sixty community health workers feed cases in from the field on the phones they already have. The programme lead needs a single view of activity across districts, with AI summaries to support review.
What we built
- Structured intake from community health workers with full offline support
- AI-supported case summaries, reviewed by the programme lead before going to the donor
- A reminder system pushing tasks back to community health workers in their local language
- A programme dashboard with weekly, monthly, and donor-ready views
Why this shape
AI provides volume summaries so the programme lead can focus on the cases that need clinical attention. Programme decisions stay with the lead and the foundation team.
Programme Community health · this weekW22- Kayunga 16 CHWs On track84/wk
- Mukono 18 CHWs On track92/wk
- Buikwe 14 CHWs Lagging71/wk
- Jinja 12 CHWs On track71/wk
AI summary · this weekBuikwe district is trending below the 12-week average for antenatal follow-up. Suggested check-in with two parishes flagged for low CHW response.
Reviewed by programme lead · final decisions stay with the team.
Most custom builds extend one of the three core solutions.
A typical custom project builds on top of the platform, the access layer, or the AI workflows, configured and extended for a specific operation. The three pages below document each underlying solution in more depth.
DHSAFRICAHave a healthcare project that sits outside packaged products?
A short note about the problem, the audience, and the available budget gives DHS enough context to outline a real plan, including the modules drawn from the library and the new pieces written for the project.
About a minute · No commitment