Improving health information systems during an emergency: lessons and recommendations from an Ebola treatment centre in Sierra Leone.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola epidemic highlighted the difficulty of collecting patient information during emergencies, especially in highly infectious environments. Health information systems (HISs) appropriate for such settings were lacking prior to this outbreak. Here we describe our development and implementation of paper and electronic HISs at the Sierra Leone Kerry Town Ebola treatment centre (ETC) from 2014 to 2015. We share our approach, experiences, and recommendations for future health emergencies.

Methods

We developed eight fact-finding questions about data-related needs, priorities, and restrictions at the ETC ("inputs") to inform eight structural decisions ("outputs") across six core HIS components. Semi-structured interviews about the "inputs" were

SUBMITTER: Oza S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6537453 | biostudies-literature | 2019 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature