Information Systems

Given that IT projects may take a long time to be fully institutionalized, sufficient resources are required to build the local capacity to support and sustain the project after the withdrawal of donors. Inadequate donor support often contributes to weakening rather than strengthening human resource capacity and effective system design, since it emphasizes the technology itself at the expense of the needs of the users. These factors contribute to the design and implemntation of unsustainable health information systems in developing countries. [from abstract]

This presentation describes the potential effects of using telemedicine to provide relevant medical knowledge in order to assist physicians in patient care.

The Health Metrics Network (HMN) was launched in 2005 to help countries and other partners improve global health by strengthening the systems that generate health-related information for evidence-based decision-making. HMN is a global health partnership focused on the core requirements of health system strengthening in low and low-middle income countries. To help meet these requirements and advance global health, there is an urgent need to coordinate and align partners around an agreed-upon framework for developing and strengthening health information systems. [adapted from introduction]

Developing countries and the global network of donors, programs and NGOs agree that health systems need to become stronger if gains in health are to be achieved and sustained. A major factor contributing to this current situation is that the excessive burden of data collection falls to health workers. A national health information system capable of supporting day-to-day management, long-term planning, and policy development for the entire national health system is required. [adapted from abstract]

This document is an early version of procedures for use by national health and statistics constituencies in planning and carrying out the design of strategies and operational plans for strengthening their national health information systems. [from summary]

This issue of Voices describes the Capacity Project’s work on the health management information system (HMIS) in Uganda including an assessment of the HMIS performance and support in setting standards for using it effectively.

Ethiopia does not have a sufficient health care workforce to meet the population’s demand for services and the burden of disease. The objective of this project was to assess the usefulness and feasibility of collecting key participant and training information for monitoring and planning of HIV/AIDS services. This paper describes a project that uses training data to follow up with providers after training to assess whether they are still working in HIV/AIDS-related services. [adapted from introduction]

A Health Management Information System (HMIS) can be a powerful tool to make health care delivery more effective and far more efficient. This paper describes how an HMIS can also be used for organisational development and reports on the experiences of the HMIS programme of the Uganda Catholic Medical Bureau (UCMB) in Uganda. [from abstract]

Traditionally, faith-based health organisations have been important health care providers in many remote and other under-serviced areas. Currently, these facilities bear the brunt of the competition for scarce human resources. It is important for faith-based organisations to learn from recent experiences and from the creative ways in which colleagues seek to retain their health workers and improve quality of human resource management.

This Toolkit provides a package of HRIS procedures and tools to HRH stakeholders, HR information system managers and software developers to facilitate applying the HRIS strengthening processes and iHRIS software developed by the Capacity Project. The Toolkit collects briefs, forms, case studies, resources and other materials to assist with all five steps of the HRIS strengthening process: introduction, building HRIS leadership, assessing and improving existing systems, developing software solutions, using data to make decisions, and ensuring sustainability. [from author]

Clinical research activities have suggested that the current records of physicians registered to practice in Jamaica may not be accurate. Our objective was to determine whether the Medical Council of Jamaica (MCJ) accurately records and reports the identities, number and specialty designation of physicians in Jamaica. An additional aim was to determine the countries in which these physicians were trained. [from abstract]

The Capacity Project has been helping to strengthen human resources information systems (HRIS) in several African countries, and many of the systems are now able to produce useful reports about the health workforce. [from author]

This publication provides a framework for health and information professionals, as well as stakeholders, for improving the use of information to guide policymaking, program design, management, and service provision in the health sector in developing countries. [adapted from introduction]

To help build the health workforce in Uganda, the Capacity Project is assisting the Ministry of Health to strengthen its human resources management and ability to gather and use accurate data for strategic planning. Drawing on key policy questions developed by the Health Workforce Advisory Board, the Capacity Project installed a certification and licensing information system at the four health professional councils and a human resources management system at the Ministry of Health.

This paper is part of the Making the eHealth Connection conference series. There are many examples of how information and communication technologies can be used to strengthen health care, but critical to such use is a workforce of people who know how to select, implement, use and support appropriate technologies. This paper reviews the scope of the challenge, describes a model program and the features that make it effective, and provides other examples of programs that are working. [adapted from introduction]

Well-functioning health information systems are required to ensure the production, analysis, dissemination and use of reliable and timely essential human resources for health (HRH) information needed for workforce planning, management and evaluation. This project aims to produce a set of indicators and domains with definitions and associated fact-sheets to establish a minimum data set to record, share, analyse and apply HRH data.

With external assistance, developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa are beginning to establish better human resources information systems (HRIS) as part of a comprehensive and integrated response to some of the fundamental challenges posed by the health crisis. While this is a positive development, it is equally important to begin thinking about simple, practical approaches for supporting HR planners and senior decision-makers to be effective leaders and managers of HR data. [from author]

This brief will discuss the concepts of data quality and provide examples of the importance of data management specific to the field of HRH, illustrated by the Capacity Project’s experience with HRIS strengthening in developing countries. [from introduction]

In order to gain an understanding of the total health workforce in Swaziland, The Capacity Project worked with senior leaders of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to develop a program to strengthen the country’s human resources information systems. [from author]

This article focuses on the field of telemedicine in developing countries and its role in improving health, using examples from the experience of the International Development Resource Centre. [adapted from publisher]

This brief describes the Capacity Project’s work with health workforce planning using HRIS in Rwanda.

This edition focuses on the role of the private sector, a part of the health system that has not previously been accorded extensive coverage in the SAHR. The contrast between the public and private sectors remains stark in many facets and the deepening inequity is cause for profound concern. The significance of the private sector cannot be underestimated both with regard to its potential contribution to the health and well-being of this country’s people, as well as its role in drawing resources (financial and human) from the public sector. [from foreword] Chapter 6 provides an overview of health information systens in the private health sector from a legilateive and operational perspective.

The Capacity Project is developing three free and Open Source core software solutions, each addressing a specific human resources for health (HRH) leadership issue: iHRIS Qualify- a training, certification and licensure tracking database; iHRIS Manage- a human resources management system; and iHRIS Plan- workforce planning and modeling software [publisher’s description]

This report provides an overview of the public health situation across the 46 Member States of the African Region of the World Health Organization. The report charts progress made to date in fighting disease and promoting health in the African Region. It reviews the success stories and looks at areas where more efforts are needed to improve people’s health. [author’s description] Chapter 6 includes a discussion of the human resources for health crisis and approaches to filling the gap as well as health information systems.

The objective [of this report is] to describe the development, initial findings, and implications of a national nursing workforce database system in Kenya. [from abstract]

Uganda has been successful in implementing the national “Health Management Information System” (HMIS). Disease surveillance reports and monitoring of key output indicators within the health sector seem to be the areas with the most remarkable advance. But little mention has been made on the importance of the use of information for monitoring performance indicators and for management/decision making purposes. The existing HMIS makes this possible. In this paper, the authors present the contribution of the PNFP health sector to the operationalization of the HMIS and of its use as a tool geared towards performance assessment and informed management decision-making. [from abstract]

A goal of the health management information system (HMIS) is to provide reliable, comprehensive information about the health system to health managers, to enable them take decisions that will improve the services provided to the consumers. This study assessed the utilisation of HMIS data for decision making at the grassroots level in Bufumbira East Health Sub-District (HSD) of Kisoro District. [from abstract]

This presentation was given as part of the Christian Health Association’s Conference: CHAs at a Crossroad Towards Achieving Health Millennium Development Goals. It introduces geographic information systems (GIS), human resource information systems (HRIS) and the Christian Social Services Commission (CSSC). It outlines the progress made in creating the systems, the benefits and reasons to have GIS and HRIS and presents the preliminary results in terms of health infrastructure, human resources and programs and interventions.

To help build the health workforce, the Capacity Project assisted Uganda’s Ministry of Health to craft and implement a comprehensive agenda for human resources for health… Improved human resources information systems (HRIS) will help the Ministry to plan for recruitment, training and retention of health professionals. [from author]

This is a summary report from the Africa Health Workforce Observatory meeting held September 26-29, 2006, at the ECSA headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania. The meeting focused on developing mechanisms to create up-to-date and reliable information that enables evidence-based decision making for HRH. [adapted from author’s description]