Abstract:
Background: Clinical research can be facilitated by the use of informatics tools. We used an
existing electronic medical record (EMR) system and personal data assistants (PDAs) to assess the
characteristics and outcomes of patients with acute respiratory illnesses (ARIs) visiting a Kenyan
rural health center.
Methods: We modified the existing EMR to include details on patients with ARIs. The EMR
database was then used to identify patients with ARIs who were prospectively followed up by a
research assistant who rode a bicycle to patients' homes and entered data into a PDA.
Results: A total of 2986 clinic visits for 2009 adult patients with respiratory infections were
registered in the database between August 2002 and January 2005; 433 patients were selected for
outcome assessments. These patients were followed up in the villages and assessed at 7 and 30 days
later. Complete follow-up data were obtained on 381 patients (88%) and merged with data from
the enrollment visit's electronic medical records and subsequent health center visits to assess
duration of illness and complications. Symptoms improved at 7 and 30 days, but a substantial
minority of patients had persistent symptoms. Eleven percent of patients sought additional care for
their respiratory infection.
Conclusion: EMRs and PDA are useful tools for performing prospective clinical research in
resource constrained developing countries.
