Global Health Informatics: the state of research and lessons learned (original) (raw)
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Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 2023
Objective: The annual American College of Medical Informatics (ACMI) symposium focused discussion on the national public health information systems (PHIS) infrastructure to support public health goals. The objective of this article is to present the strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities (SWOT) identified by public health and informatics leaders in attendance. Materials and Methods: The Symposium provided a venue for experts in biomedical informatics and public health to brainstorm, identify, and discuss top PHIS challenges. Two conceptual frameworks, SWOT and the Informatics Stack, guided discussion and were used to organize factors and themes identified through a qualitative approach. Results: A total of 57 unique factors related to the current PHIS were identified, including 9 strengths, 22 weaknesses, 14 opportunities, and 14 threats, which were consolidated into 22 themes according to the Stack. Most themes (68%) clustered at the top of the Stack. Three overarching opportunities were especially prominent: (1) addressing the needs for sustainable funding, (2) leveraging existing infrastructure and processes for information exchange and system development that meets public health goals, and (3) preparing the public health workforce to benefit from available resources. Discussion: The PHIS is unarguably overdue for a strategically designed, technology-enabled, information infrastructure for delivering day-today essential public health services and to respond effectively to public health emergencies. Conclusion: Most of the themes identified concerned context, people, and processes rather than technical elements. We recommend that public health leadership consider the possible actions and leverage informatics expertise as we collectively prepare for the future.
The Dynamics of a Global Health Information Systems Research and Implementation Project
Scandinavian Conference on Health Informatics - EHiN 2019, 2019
The Health Information Systems Programme (HISP) is a sustainable and scalable research project enabling and supporting health information systems implementation in more than 100 developing countries. In this paper, we present the historical roots, the status, and discuss the future of HISP and its software (DHIS2). We also reflect on factors contributing to the project's global success and find the principles of HISP organizing, DHIS2 software development and implementation in countries with a basis in open and participatory approaches as key. For the future, we discuss strategies to stabilize as well as grow the HISP and DHIS2 community into a sustainable ecosystem.
Building the Foundations of an Informatics Agenda for Global Health—2011 Workshop Report
Online Journal of Public Health Informatics, 2012
Strengthening the capacity of public health systems to protect and promote the health of the global population continues to be essential in an increasingly connected world. Informatics practices and principles can play an important role for improving global health response capacity. A critical step is to develop an informatics agenda for global health so that efforts can be prioritized and important global health issues addressed. With the aim of building a foundation for this agenda, the authors developed a workshop to examine the evidence in this domain, recognize the gaps, and document evidence-based recommendations.
Global Health Informatics–Challenges and Possibilities
In our globalized world more projects are done across countries. Especially collaborations between European countries and countries with low resources and infrastructures, like most of the Sub-Saharan African countries, are especially interesting and important for both continents. All partner countries can learn from each other and new technologies can jointly be piloted and evaluated in their different settings. During the workshop existing projects and partnerships in the field of global health informatics shall be presented and discussed by the audience. The aim of this workshop is to come up with new project ideas, identify their potentials and challenges and find partners for joint funding proposals. Additionally, the group will decide whether to start a new EFMI working group or to enhace their efforts in the existing national and international working groups.
Health Informatics: Linking Investment to Value
Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 1999
A b s t r a c t Informatics and information technology do not appear to be valued by the health industry to the degree that they are in other industries. The agenda for health informatics should be presented so that value to the health system is linked directly to required investment. The agenda should acknowledge the foundation provided by the current health system and the role of financial issues, system impediments, policy, and knowledge in effecting change. The desired outcomes should be compelling, such as improved public health, improved quality as perceived by consumers, and lower costs. Strategies to achieve these outcomes should derive from the differentia of health, opportunities to leverage other efforts, and lessons from successes inside and outside the health industry. Examples might include using logistics to improve quality, mass customization to adapt to individual values, and system thinking to change the game to one that can be won. The justification for the informatics infrastructure of a virtual health care data bank, a national health care knowledge base, and a personal clinical health record flows naturally from these strategies. Ⅲ JAMIA. 1999;6:341-348.
Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 2016
Background Health information plays a pivotal role in informing and supporting many local health department (LHD) functions and services. 1 For example, health information is critical to surveillance and assessment of public health threats, population and disease trends, management of clinical services, completion of immunizations, identification of disease trends, and communication with community partners. 2-4 In addition, LHDs are increasingly focusing on "health in all policies" and the elimination of health disparities. To support these efforts, LHDs must collaborate with other community partners. Such collaborations require communication and data exchange. 5-7 Some LHDs use public health informatics, or the systematic application of information, analytics, computer science, and technology to support the day-today work of public health, to improve decision making, and to compensate for lost infrastructural capacities. 8-10 Evidence-based strategies and information systems can facilitate improvements in LHD services, administrative and management capacities, and governance. 11 A centralized interoperable data system can serve LHDs well by improving communication, efficiency, and accuracy of information exchanged with other programs and partners. 11 Such a system can save time and money by, for example, eliminating the need for multiple logins for professionals pulling information from multiple databases and for duplicate entry of common elements such as demographics. LHDs need to strategically build informatics programs that advance their mission and vision and enable them to detect and address strategic issues. 11 However, decreases in public health funding, coupled with mandates for essential public health services, have led some LHDs to underresource informatics. 12 Still,
2008
To discover what kinds of health informatics the developing countries need, we look first to the underlying social structures that informatics is to support. Developing countries face severe problems in their goal of assuring access to quality healthcare to their citizens. Nor is it comforting to look to the example of the developed countries, themselves uncomfortable with the tremendous commitment of resources that they use. It seems clear that if developing countries are to succeed their systems for assuring health will need to achieve radical improvements over those currently employed by the developed countries. They need to build systems that are directed to the heart of the problems; they need to make the best use of their existing human and economic resources; and they need to do this while respecting the human potential and aspirations of their people. Any such system will need to be built around planning, organizing and measuring the long-term, rather than episodic, health o...
Healthcare Systems Process Reengineering for Developing Countries: A Report to IMIA Working Group 9
Studies in health technology and informatics, 1998
To discover what kinds of health informatics the developing countries need, we look first to the underlying social structures that informatics is to support. Developing countries face severe problems in their goal of assuring access to quality healthcare to their citizens. Nor is it comforting to look to the example of the developed countries, themselves uncomfortable with the tremendous commitment of resources that they use. It seems clear that if developing countries are to succeed their systems for assuring health will need to achieve radical improvements over those currently employed by the developed countries. They need to build systems that are directed to the heart of the problems; they need to make the best use of their existing human and economic resources; and they need to do this while respecting the human potential and aspirations of their people. Any such system will need to be built around planning, organizing and measuring the long-term, rather than episodic, health o...
The first Symposium of Health Informatics in Latin America and the Caribbean (SHILAC 2013) took place in Cancun, Mexico on August 14, 2013 as a part of the eleventh LACCEI Latin America and Caribbean Conference for Engineering and Technology (LACCEI 2013). The theme of the event was "Crossing bridges and borders to identify healthcare issues in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and to brainstorm on how health informatics might address these issues in a dynamic environment which values the participation of all of the attendees." The three primary objectives of the event were 1) to showcase health informatics in Latin America and the Caribbean 2) to identify the top health issues in LAC that can best be addressed with health informatics and 3) and to brainstorm and prioritize possible health informatics solutions to those issues. A summary of the key events, an evaluation of the event, as well as an overview of future work are discussed in this paper.
International Academy of Health Sciences Informatics (IAHSI): Strategy and Focus Areas, 1st Version
Yearbook of Medical Informatics
Background: The International Academy of Health Sciences Informatics (IAHSI) is the Academy of the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA). As an international forum for peers in biomedical and health informatics, the Academy shall play an important role in exchanging knowledge, providing education and training, and producing policy documents. Objectives: A major priority of the Academy’s activities in its inaugural phase was to define its strategy and focus areas in accordance with its objectives and to prioritize the Academy’s work, which can then be transferred to respective taskforces. Method: This document reflects the major outcomes of intensive discussions that occurred during 2019. It was presented at the Academy’s 3rd Plenary on August 25th, 2019, in Lyon, France. Results: Regardless of the ‘living nature’ of the strategy and focus areas document, it was concluded during the Plenary that the first version, which will be used as a base for decisions on the Acade...