Effiwe.net, an academic resource site for African medical personnel, now boasts of a vast database of free online resources for download by registered subscribers. The site is presently stirring the spectre of clinical practice in Nigeria with a number of medical trainees and practitioners logging in for health information resources.
The site’s resources are rich African content that are relevant to the practice of medicine in Africa, according to the founders.
It has lecture notes (in different formats), presentations, research material, treatment guidelines that are pooled from different medical institutions across Africa.
From the user’s point of view, the online medical database is a great educational tool. Its treatment guidelines are direct. The guidelines show the causes of a disease, symptoms, diagnosis and management. The medical students who also take part in recuperation of patients can therefore utilise the portal for prescription and treatment.
The site, precisely described as a central database of online medical resources, was founded late last year by three medical students from Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile-Ife including Nzekwe-Daniel Nnamdi, Owoyemi Ayomide and Ajani Taiwo.
According to the founders, Effiwe.net is a product of long-time search offering a platform that makes dissemination of lecture notes possible.
“Medical school is tedious, and the hassle involved with obtaining lecture notes from lecturers and class representatives inspired this idea. We thought, why could’nt there be a central platform where these resources will be uploaded so that other students can download them at their convenience and voila, we birthed Effiwe,” the founders state.
Effiwe started as an online archive for for a single class’ lecture resources. It has rapidly enlarged to involve all the classes in the department plus several others, according to Nnamdi.
“However, after word about the platform spread, we received encouragement to include other classes and other faculties,” he said.
Presently, it has registered users from a number of African medical schools including in Ghana, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia and Nigeria.
“We are providing online practical medical content that is relevant in our environment. African medical content is a rarity on the internet. Furthermore, we provide information on how medical conditions are managed in our wards. This is premium stuff,” Nnamdi said.
Effiwe.net targets medical students and medical personnel — including doctors, dentists, nurses – as well as whoever requires premium medical resources.
Presently, a number of sites that provide similar services exist. The sites however contain information that is suited for the western world, with little African relevant content.
“This is how we stand out. We provide epidemiological data from Africa, treatment and management options from Africa etcetera. We know the medical conditions that are prevalent here and we provide accurate information on them,
“Also, the credibility of our resources; these are resources created by professors and renowned medical professionals who know their onion. Yes, our resources and content are very reliable,” he says.
Nnamdi says there are a number of projects in the pipeline mostly concerned with research and development.
“We are also soliciting for support from investors to enable us grow in the right direction. We will like to be quiet on these upcoming projects. Interested parties can contact us for more information,” he said.
Effiwe is a Yoruba slang popular among students in SW Nigeria that means ‘a person who loves books’, — or a bookworm.
