iHRIS Blog: The Latest News About iHRIS
What We’re Reading: ICT4D and eHealth News
Posted Thu May 17, 2012 by Shannon Turlington
This is a round-up of links that caught our attention over the previous week.
Nepal and the impact of open source: How Open Source software is helping to bridge the digital divide. Opensource.com
Scaling up mobile health: Elements Necessary for the Successful Scale Up of mHealth in Developing Countries: A useful resource for those working in mHealth. K4Health
Foundations of Gender Equality in the Health Workforce: A new, free e-learning course on gender. HRH Global Resource Center
UNFPA Maternal Mortality Estimates 2012: The number of women dying of pregnancy- and childbirth-related complications has almost halved in 20 years, according to this new report. UNFPA
Code-Bounty/Senior eHealth Fellow – iHRIS Qualify Customizations For Professional Councils of Nigeria
Posted Mon May 14, 2012 by Brooke Buchanan
Background
CapacityPlus, the USAID global flagship project for Human Resources for Health, has been globally supporting human resources information system (HRIS) strengthening. In Ghana, CapacityPlus is working with various stakeholders to support the establishment of a national HRIS focusing on the health workforce. This Senior eHealth Fellowship will implement the customizations requested by the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN) and the Nursing & Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) for their iHRIS Qualify implementation.
eHealth Fellow Responsibilities and Scope of Work
- Work closely with CapacityPlus HRIS team throughout assignment
- Existing customizations of the iHRIS Qualify for NMCN will be upgraded to 4.1 with all needed rows defined
- Customizations for the MLSCN will be based on the NMCN customziations
- Maintain regular communication with the stakeholders for the councils to ensure skills transfer and to ensure customizations are as intended
- Provide proper documentation on installation of customized iHRIS, backup procedures, and other topics as needed
- Write at least one blog article about the development process and which contains the consultant’s contact information
Methodology and Available Resource Materials
The chosen candidate will have access to CapacityPlus and HRIS team members as well as all needed documentation.
Please see shared documents on Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/#folders/0B0cSa_RjV1M6MWdBVmlnY2ROaW8
Location
Global
Period of Performance
The assignment will take place during May-June 2012
Qualifications
- Ability to communicate fluently in English.
- Documented experience in customizing iHRIS
- Documented experience in providing remote support for iHRIS
- Ability to work well with a team
Submitting Applications
Interested and qualified candidates should send a CV and cover letter to Brooke Buchanan at bbuchanan@intrahealth.org. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until May 18, 2012 or until the fellowship is filled. Cover letters should include the expected number of days to complete the assignment, expected daily rate in US$ at 8 hrs/day. Please note, daily rates less than $50 are preferred.
What We’re Reading: ICT4D and e-Health News
Posted Thu May 03, 2012 by Shannon Turlington
This is a round-up of links that caught our attention over the previous week.
The power of the 1 and how open innovation changed global health: The keynote address of the Switchpoint Conference that was held April 20. Opensource.com
Teaching open source: Team operating principles that can be used on any project: A set of simple but often forgotten “operating principles” for Open Source projects — or any projects conducted in the spirit of openness. Opensource.com
Knowledge Management for Health and Development Toolkit: A toolkit of practical resources for knowledge management solutions for people working in development. K4Health.org
What is eHealth? Here is an animated presentation describing what eHealth is and how it benefits us all. It’s not as complicated as you may think! Using existing technologies, eHealth has great potential to improve global health and healthcare service delivery. HealthWorks Collective
Be Aware of Participant Response Bias in ICT4D Product Development: Research shows that that respondents are more likely to prefer a technological product they believe to be developed by the interviewer, even when the alternative is identical. ICTWorks
5 Reasons Deficit Hawks Should Lay Off Global Health Initiatives: Cutting global health funding is a mistake. Here’s why. Written by Bill Frist for The Week
Chart of the Day: More People Have Mobile Phones Than Electricity or Drinking Water: An eye-opening infographic. Business Insider
New Technical Brief: West Africa’s Regional Approach to Strengthening Health Workforce Information
Posted by Shannon Turlington
CapacityPlus Technical Brief #2. By Kayode Odusote, Carol Bales, Sarah Dwyer, and Dykki Settle.
The West African Health Organization (WAHO) is implementing a regional approach to strengthening health workforce information systems, leveraging resources from CapacityPlus, other USAID-funded projects, donors, and global organizations. This technical brief provides an overview of this approach, highlights lessons learned, and provides recommendations for other regions and countries to adopt the approach.
WAHO serves 15 member countries, all of which have less than the WHO recommended 2.3 doctors, nurses, and midwives per 1,000 people. Simply put, there are too few health workers, and many of those who are present are inadequately educated and trained, inequitably distributed, and poorly supported. In 2009, most WAHO countries had some health workforce data linked to payroll databases, but these did not provide the information health leaders needed in terms of availability, distribution, and skills mix. None had health workforce information system that could be used for planning. Therefore WAHO sought a functional, affordable, and sustainable system that could be used by all member countries and enable the regional exchange of information and aggregation of data. WAHO decided on iHRIS, open source software for tracking, managing, and planning the health workforce.
Read the brief to learn how in just two and a half years a regional movement fueled the implementation of the iHRIS software in Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Togo, with several other WAHO countries eager to also deploy the software.
The technical brief is available as an interactive version and a printer-friendly document.
iHRIS: Where Are We Now?
Posted Mon Apr 30, 2012 by Shannon Turlington
Global health workforce issues have only recently received focused attention in the field of international development. In 2006, the World Health Organization identified 57 countries that had a health workforce crisis, defined as having less than 2.3 doctors, nurses, and midwives per thousand population. That same year, while working on the Capacity Project, we visited some of these health workforce crisis countries to see what tools and technologies countries were using to address their health workforce needs.
What did we find? Essentially, nothing. Data on health workers were inaccurate or unavailable, making health workforce planning impossible. Ministries of health and professional councils such as those that license nurses used paper-based systems to track health workers. Their files filled many volumes or shelves, even whole shipping containers. Often, records were missing or misfiled. Tracking down one worker’s record could take days. Aggregating information, such as the total number of health workers available to deploy in the country, took weeks to compile.
The countries we visited expressed a great need for a computerized human resources information system (HRIS) to quickly access, aggregate, and analyze the health workforce data they needed to make good decisions. Comprehensive HR information systems did exist, of course, often as part of large enterprise systems, but they were far too costly. These countries needed a system that could be installed at a low cost, could be easily customized to meet their particular needs, and would evolve as their needs did.
In response, we worked with these countries to develop iHRIS: free and open health workforce information software. In 2007, after nearly two years of design and development, we released the initial products in our iHRIS Suite: iHRIS Manage and iHRIS Qualify. We rolled out the first versions of the iHRIS software in Rwanda and Uganda that same year. iHRIS Manage was designed to help ministries of health deploy and track health workers. iHRIS Qualify enabled professional councils to manage the licensing and certification requirements of a health worker cadre, such as nurses. One year later, we added iHRIS Plan, workforce planning and modeling software, to the suite.
Today, 12 countries across Africa and Asia are using iHRIS to manage more than 475,000 health workers. Six other countries in the Caribbean, Central America, and Asia are actively planning to roll out the software this year. iHRIS has been translated into 13 languages. Governments use the data that iHRIS provides to inform strategic plans, remove ghost workers”—those who are no longer working but remain on the payroll—from the system, and strengthen health service delivery. iHRIS is laying a strong foundation for country understanding of and investment in solving health workforce challenges. We recently released a major new update to the iHRIS Suite, available for download from our newly redesigned website at www.ihris.org.
What’s next for iHRIS? We want to transform the suite from a human resources information system to a human resources management system. iHRIS does a great job of collecting, aggregating, and reporting health worker data for decision-making and planning purposes, but as countries are developing strong databases of health worker records, they need more effective ways of taking actions on these records. The next iteration will support efforts to make HR management actions more efficient and consistent across the health system.
A robust HR management system, as we envision iHRIS becoming, would enable HR managers to streamline the critical process of deploying health workers where they are most needed. Managers could use the system to identify vacancies, approve new positions, post job openings, make employment offers, and place health workers in districts and facilities. They could better support their workers by managing promotions, leave, benefits, retirement, and disciplinary actions. As managers use the system on a daily basis, they will ensure that health worker data are more accurate and up-to-date, which as a side effect will strengthen reporting and planning even more.
We are also planning new additions to the suite. We will soon release iHRIS Retain, a tool for planning and costing retention interventions, and we are actively looking at ways iHRIS can better support preservice and in-service training of the health workforce. We will share more news about these products as they evolve.
While we’re excited about how far iHRIS has come in five years, we’re even more excited imagining where we’re going. It all comes down to our core principle of supporting the health worker. Without the health worker, there is no health care. Health systems can either be a boon or a burden in their support of health workers. Our software is designed to strengthen health systems support of health workers, letting them get on with their all-important work: providing care.
Code-Bounty/Senior eHealth Fellow – Ministry of Health Ghana iHRIS Manage Customizations
Posted Fri Apr 27, 2012 by Brooke Buchanan
Code-Bounty/Senior eHealth Fellow – Ministry of Health Ghana iHRIS Manage Customizations
Background
CapacityPlus, the USAID global flagship project for Human Resources for Health, has been globally supporting human resources information system (HRIS) strengthening. In Ghana, CapacityPlus is working with various stakeholders to support the establishment of a national HRIS focusing on the health workforce. This Senior eHealth Fellowship will implement the customizations requested by Ghana’s Ministry of Health for their iHRIS Manage implementation.
eHealth Fellow Responsibilities and Scope of Work
- Work closely with CapacityPlus HRIS team throughout assignment
- Customizations will be based on version 4.1 of the iHRIS software as customized for the western Africa region
- Maintain regular communication with the Ghana national IT team to ensure skills transfer and to ensure customizations are as intended
- Provide proper documentation on installation of customized iHRIS, backup procedures, and other topics as needed
- Write at least one blog article about the development process and which contains the consultant’s contact information
Methodology and Available Resource Materials
The chosen candidate will have access to CapacityPlus and HRIS team members as well as all needed documentation.
Location
Global
Period of Performance
The assignment will take place during May-June 2012
Qualifications
- Ability to communicate fluently in English.
- Documented experience in customizing iHRIS
- Documented experience in providing remote support for iHRIS
- Ability to work well with a team
Submitting Applications
Interested and qualified candidates should send a CV and cover letter to Brooke Buchanan at bbuchanan@intrahealth.org. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until May 18, 2012 or until the fellowship is filled. Cover letters should include the expected number of days to complete the assignment, expected daily rate in US$ at 8 hrs/day. Please note, daily rates less than $50 are preferred.
HRIS Works: A study tour to Namibia informs Tanzania’s approach to implementing iHRIS
Posted Tue Apr 24, 2012 by Shannon Turlington
IntraHealth Tanzania sent a delegation of staff and partners to Namibia earlier this year to learn about that country’s experiences implementing a large-scale human resources information system (HRIS). Tanzania’s HRIS is a customized version of iHRIS Manage. Namibia built its own system and implemented it with support from IntraHealth.
The Tanzania delegation noted several lessons learned from the Namibian experience deploying the HRIS in the Ministry of Health and Social Services and in hospitals:
- To coordinate information and communications technology services across ministries, a viable national ICT policy is needed.
- Rolling out to regions in phases makes the process more manageable and helps assure data quality.
- A rigorous process of collecting, reviewing, and keying in data is necessary for inputting high-quality data into the system.
- Define human resources roles to improve accountability when staff data need to be updated.
- Make on-going technical support available wherever the HRIS is installed.
When summarizing their findings from the study tour, the Tanzanian delegation noted simply that “HRIS works.”
Read more about the study tour and their findings on IntraHealth’s Global Health Blog.
Latest Version of iHRIS Supports Decentralization and Adds Self-Service Option
Posted Thu Apr 19, 2012 by Shannon Turlington
We are pleased to announce a major new release of iHRIS Manage and iHRIS Qualify. Version 4.1 of the software enhances health data security and enables updating of health worker records at the district and facility level, improving data quality. Individual health workers can even update their own records using a new “self-service” option. Download it now.
Supporting decentralization
A country’s Ministry of Health commonly distributes HR functions, like recruitment or hiring, at the regional or district levels. iHRIS Manage needed to align with decentralization policies and allow HR managers at a district health office, for instance, to update records for health workers in their district.
Now, iHRIS allows users to be associated with a specific region, district, or even a facility and perform tasks related to maintaining health worker records within that locale. For example, a district hospital can manage the participation of their health workers in national training programs while ensuring good coverage for the staff attending training. Doing this maximizes the value of the training and minimizes the negative impact on health services.
This information can then be shared and aggregated at the central level to ensure national policies and programs are meeting local needs. This enhancement will improve data quality and further encourage use of the software for the daily management of health workers.
A report generated in iHRIS Manage.
Supporting individual health workers
Health workers depend on the support of country health leaders for access to education and needed resources, and health workers have a right to equitable access to opportunities for training, promotion, and other benefits.
The new versions of iHRIS Qualify and Manage enable health workers themselves to collaborate in keeping their information current and in tracking and planning their career development. iHRIS now has “self-service” capabilities, allowing health workers to access their own records online and submit necessary changes. For instance, a female health worker can log into her country’s iHRIS system and submit a name change or check her available maternity leave. This gives the health worker participatory ownership over his or her own record while improving the accuracy of data that could affect eligibility for benefits or professional opportunities.
Similarly, currently employed health workers interested in a different post, newly certified health workers, and health workers looking to return to the profession can review the list of open positions in iHRIS. If there is one that they are interested in, they can create an account on iHRIS and enter in their details, such as their name, e-mail, phone number, and resume. They can then add themselves to the applicant pool for any posts they are interested in, simplifying the application and recruitment process.
Carl Leitner Presents at Fifth IFIP World IT Forum (WITFOR) 2012
Posted Tue Apr 17, 2012 by Shannon Turlington
The International Federation for Information Processing’s (IFIP) flagship conference, World IT Forum (WITFOR), is organized in partnership with the Department of Information Technology, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Government of India. The theme is information and communication technology (ICT) for sustainable human development. On April 18, iHRIS team member Dr. Carl Leitner will be a speaker in a session on ICT for Human Resource Management in Health. Over 1,000 participants from over 60 countries are expected to attend.
iHRIS: Tracking Almost Half a Million Health Workers Worldwide
Posted Sun Apr 15, 2012 by Shannon Turlington
The world needs approximately 4.3 million additional health workers. Africa alone needs 1.4 million more. Having the right number of health workers, however, is not enough. How can countries ensure their health workers are in the right positions to care for their populations, and how can countries plan for future needs?
Picture this: the Ministry of Health asks the registrar at a nursing and midwifery council to provide the number of nurses currently licensed in the country. The council keeps folders of license application forms, sorted only by year. Some forms are missing or are not yet filed. The registrar stops everything and manually goes through the files, calculating the number of nurses available in the country. It takes a month.
But the number is inaccurate. It doesn’t take into account the nurses who migrated to other countries or those who have died or otherwise left the profession. It doesn’t consider the health workers that are double-counted because they registered at one level and then re-registered after obtaining a higher qualification. Even if the number were accurate, the registrar can’t tell where the nurses were trained, what kind of training they received, where they are practicing, or if they’re up-to-date on their license and education requirements—essential information to understand health workforce challenges and start planning to address them.
This is but one example. Similar challenges are faced by health workforce managers and planners at a country’s ministry of health, national and regional hospitals, and district facilities.
Health leaders in 12 countries are now using the iHRIS software (pronounced eye-ris) to track and manage over 475,000 health workers. Before getting iHRIS, most of these countries used manual filing systems, and health workforce data were difficult to access, aggregate, and analyze.
Now, information at the click of a button
iHRIS is free, open source software specifically designed for use by ministries of health, professional health councils, and health facilities to understand and strengthen the health workforce. IntraHealth International, through the USAID global Capacity Project, launched the first iHRIS product in 2007, when IntraHealth recognized the need for accurate and accessible health workforce data at the country level. iHRIS is making the difference between not knowing where to start solving workforce challenges and getting started.
Two years ago in Nigeria, the nursing council used 18 paper registries, some with many volumes, to track information on the country’s qualified nurses and midwives. Now, Nigeria has the largest iHRIS installation with records on over 240,000 qualified health workers. Six years ago in Uganda, the registrar of the nursing and midwives council described aggregating information in their paper-based system as “a nightmare.” Now, Uganda tracks and manages data on over 69,000 health workers in various systems built on iHRIS.
Countries implementing iHRIS can access data for decision-making, including information about health workers’ distribution, age, gender, training, and specialty—all at the click of a button.
Customizable, open source software for health managers
Since 2007, IntraHealth has introduced two additional iHRIS software products and continues to release enhanced versions with new features. Because iHRIS is open source, local developers are free to tailor the system for a country’s specific needs. In fact, each of the countries using iHRIS customized it to match its own health system processes.
IntraHealth supports the core development of iHRIS and its implementation through CapacityPlus and several other USAID-funded projects, but the value of the software is recognized well beyond IntraHealth and USAID’s doors. Other donors and organizations now contribute to the software and support country efforts to deploy and use it effectively. Some countries, such as Togo, have even deployed iHRIS with only a small amount of remote support.
An online community for in-country iHRIS developers and implementers further supports and extends the software. Thanks largely to volunteers, iHRIS has been translated into 13 languages, making the software even more accessible. Four other countries in the Caribbean, Central America, and Asia plan to adopt the software this year. IntraHealth’s efforts also expand the iHRIS community and build local technology capacity through making documentation freely available online, creating a free eLearning course hosted on the HRH Global Resource Center, posting the software code for easy download and translation, and offering short-term “eHealth Fellows” code bounties.
iHRIS installs with several standard reports, such as facility staff lists that can be aggregated and analyzed at the district or country level; breakdowns of the health workforce by cadre, sex, and age; and staff nearing retirement. Users can also create their own customized reports. By routinely producing reports, human resources managers can better understand the current health workforce situation and assess health workforce issues. Human resources managers use the data provided by iHRIS to create informed strategic plans, deploy health professionals in the right positions to meet health care needs, and retain health worker skills and experience in the country.
Supporting individual health workers
Health workers depend on the support of health leaders for access to the education and resources needed, and health workers have a right to equitable access to opportunities for training, promotion, and other benefits. iHRIS will soon enable health workers themselves to collaborate in keeping their own information current and track and plan their career development. An upcoming release of iHRIS enables self-service, allowing health workers to access their records online and submit necessary changes, improving the accuracy of data that could affect their eligibility for benefits or professional opportunities.
iHRIS can also be used to protect the reputation of legitimate, professional health workers—as well as the public—from fraud. Uganda recently launched a mobile directory linked to iHRIS data, allowing the public to confirm a health worker’s credibility while eliminating “quacks” posing as health professionals.
Other countries are leveraging mobile technology to benefit the individual health worker. Tanzania is developing a method for health workers to use their mobile phones to confirm if their paychecks are available, saving precious time wasted en route to city centers only to find their paychecks are delayed (a recurring problem in some areas). Also on the horizon, health workers will soon be able to register and renew their licenses online without traveling to the health professional councils located in capital cities and standing in lines when health workers could be seeing patients instead.
Returning to the original example, a well-maintained iHRIS can produce reports and tally up the number of nurses in a minute rather than a month. Ultimately, however, iHRIS is a tool to support health managers and health workers, reducing the time and resources administrative processes can take away from what matters most: health workers saving lives.
This post was originally published as a feature on the IntraHealth International blog.
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