Trip to Kenya Furthers Several HRIS Initiatives

CapacityPlus software developer, Carl Leitner, recently traveled to Kenya to advance HR information system (HRIS) strengthening initiatives, including furthering regional support of the iHRIS software, fostering collaboration with other health information systems (HIS) implementers in the region, and gathering feedback for future HRIS-related trainings.

In Nairobi, Carl met with representatives from the Capacity Kenya project, a Capacity Project Associate award, to discuss building regional capacity to apply and adapt the iHRIS software. The iHRIS software is currently being deployed in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda; all have expressed interest in developing similar modules to track health worker leave and trainings. With this in mind, the group recognized a need to conduct a meeting for regional developers to coordinate future development plans and determine what modules and features should be executed at the country, regional, and global levels. They then began drafting an agenda and participant list for the regional meeting, which will likely be held in August and will build regional consensus and ensure continued linkages and support.

Carl also attended a health informatics training course/data management series offered by the Regional East African Centre for Health Informatics (REACH-Informatics) in Eldoret. REACH-Informatics is funded by NIH’s Fogarty Center.  The training was held at the Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH), a USAID-funded program, and supported by the Regenstrief Institute at Indiana University. Attendees included data managers, data analysts, and data clerks. The meeting focused on the medical records system, OpenMRS, used by AMPATH and more than 40 countries throughout the world.  While in Eldoret, Carl met with representatives from AMPATH to discuss ways to integrate iHRIS with OpenMRS and to find new uses for Kenya’s national iHRIS Manage installation.

While at the training, Carl took the opportunity to prepare for a future CapacityPlus activity – developing an HRIS-specific eLearning course to be hosted on the HRH Global Resource Center. As the training participants closely represented the intended target audience for the HRIS course, Carl administered an eLearning readiness assessment. Participant feedback will be used to inform development of the future HRIS course, future informatics trainings in Kenya and in the region, and development of Health Informatics Building Blocks (HIBBs).