dc.description.abstract |
Health care for patients with HIV infection in developing
countries has increased substantially in response to major international
funding. Scaling up treatment programs requires timely
data on the type, quantity, and quality of care being provided.
Increasingly, such programs are turning to electronic health records
(EHRs) to provide these data. We describe how a medical school in
the United States and another in Kenya collaborated to develop and
implement an EHR in a large HIV/AIDS care program in western
Kenya. These data were used to manage patients, providers, and the
program itself as it grew to encompass 18 sites serving more than
90,000 patients. Lessons learned have been applicable beyond
HIV/AIDS to include primary care, chronic disease management, and
community-based health screening and disease prevention programs.
EHRs will be key to providing the highest possible quality of care for
the funds developing countries can commit to health care. Public,
private, and academic partnerships can facilitate the development and
implementation of EHRs in resource-constrained settings |
en_US |