Yearb Med Inform 2011; 20(01): 96-101
DOI: 10.1055/s-0038-1638745
Working Group Contribution
Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart

Health Informatics for Development: a Threepronged Strategy of Partnerships, Standards, and Mobile Health

Contribution of the IMIA Working Group on Health Informatics for Development
A. Marcelo
1   IMIA Health Informatics for Development Working Group Chair, National Telehealth Center, University of the Philippines Manila, Philippines
,
A. Adejumo
2   Health Information Systems Programme, Nigeria
,
D. Luna
3   IMIA Health Informatics for Development Working Group Co-Chair, Hospital Italiano, Buenos Aires, Argentina
› Author Affiliations
Global Health Informatics Partnerships for the useful insights and references shared by its members in its mailing list.
Further Information

Correspondence to:

Alvin Marcelo
University of the Philippines Manila
National Telehealth Center
Manila, Philippines
Phone: +632 525 6501   

Publication History

Publication Date:
06 March 2018 (online)

 

Summary

Objective

Describe the issues surrounding health informatics in developing countries and the challenges faced by practitioners in building internal capacity. From these issues, the authors propose cost-effective strategies that can fast track health informatics development in these low to medium income countries (LMICs).

Methods

The authors conducted a review of literature and consulted key opinion leaders who have experience with health informatics implementations around the world.

Results

Despite geographic and cultural differences, many LMICs share similar challenges and opportunities in developing health informatics.

Conclusions

Partnerships, standards, and inter-operability are well known components of successful informatics programs. Establishing partnerships can be comprised of formal inter-institutional collaborations on training and research, collaborative open source software development, and effective use of social networking. Lacking legacy systems, LMICs can discuss standards and inter-operability more openly and have greater potential for success. Lastly, since cellphones are pervasive in developing countries, they can be leveraged as access points for delivering and documenting health services in remote under-served areas. Mobile health or mHealth gives LMICs a unique opportunity to leapfrog through most issues that have plagued health informaticsin developed countries. By employing this proposed roadmap, LMICs can now develop capacity for health informaticsusing appropriate and cost-effective technologies.


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Correspondence to:

Alvin Marcelo
University of the Philippines Manila
National Telehealth Center
Manila, Philippines
Phone: +632 525 6501