Download PDF
Yearb Med Inform 2013; 22(01): 28-33
DOI: 10.1055/s-0038-1638829
Original Article
Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart

Health Informatics in Developing Countries: Systematic Review of Reviews Contribution of the IMIA Working Group Health Informatics for Development

D. Luna
1   IMIA Health Informatics for Development Working Group Chair, and Chair of Health Informatics Department, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Argentina
,
C. Otero
2   Oregon Health and Science University, USA, and Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Argentina
,
A. Marcelo
3   IMIA Health Informatics for Development Working Group Co-Chair, National Telehealth Center, University of the Philippines Manila, Philippines
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Correpsondence to:

Daniel Luna MD, MSc PhD cand.
Health Informatics Department
Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires
Gascon 450, CABA, Buenos Aires, Argentina (C1181ACH)
Phone: +5411 4959 0507   
Fax: +5411 4959 0507   

Publication History

Publication Date:
05 March 2018 (online)

 
 PDF Download Permissions and Reprints

Summary

Objectives: An evidence-base is important for medicine and health informatics. Despite numerous publications showing the benefits of health informatics, the emergence of health information systems in developing countries has been slower than expected. The aim of this paper is to identify systematic reviews on the domain of health informatics in developing countries, and classify the different types of applications covered.

Methods: A systematic review of reviews was conducted. The literature search spanned the time period between 2000 and 2012 and included PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Scopus, Cochrane Systematic Reviews, LILACS, and Google Scholar. The search term was ‘systematic reviews of health informatics in developing countries’, and transparent and systematic procedures were applied to limit bias at all stages.

Results: Of the 982 identified articles, only 10 met the inclusion criteria and one more article was added in a second manual search, resulting in a total of 11 systematic reviews for the analysis.

Conclusions: Although it was difficult to find high quality resources on the selected domain, the best evidence available allowed us to generate this report and create an incipient review of the state of the art in health informatics in the developing countries. More studies will be needed to optimize the results.


#

Keywords

Medical Informatics - developing countries - evidence-based medicine

 


#

  • References

  • 1 Ammenwerth E. Evidence Based Health Informatics. In: Hovenga E. editor. Health informatics — an overview. Washington, DC: IOS Press; 2010. p. 427-34.
    Google Scholar
  • 2 Bakken S. An informatics infrastructure is essential for evidence-based practice. J Am Med Inform Assoc 2001; May-Jun 8 (3) 199-201.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 3 Sackett DL, Rosenberg WM, Gray JA, Haynes RB, Richardson WS. Evidence based medicine: what it is and what it isn't. BMJ 1996; Jan 13 312 (7023) 71-2.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 4 Rigby M. Evaluation: 16 powerful reasons why not to do it--and 6 over-riding imperatives. Stud Health Technol Inform 2001; 84 (Pt 2) 1198-202.
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 5 Ammenwerth E, de Keizer N. A viewpoint on evidence-based health informatics, based on a pilot survey on evaluation studies in health care informatics. J Am Med Inform Assoc 2007; May-Jun 14 (3) 368-71.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 6 Hebert RJ. Economics of health informatics in developing countries. Stud Health Technol Inform 2011; 164: 162-7.
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 7 Lucas H. Information and communications technology for future health systems in developing countries. Soc Sci Med 2008; May 66 (10) 2122-32.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 8 Ammenwerth E, Schnell-Inderst P, Siebert U. Vision and challenges of Evidence-Based Health Informatics: a case study of a CPOE meta-analysis. Int J Med Inform 2010; Apr 79 (4) e83-8.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 9 Tomasi E, Facchini LA, Maia MF. Health information technology in primary health care in developing countries: a literature review. Bull World Health Organ 2004; Nov 82 (11) 867-74.
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 10 Williams F, Boren SA. The role of the electronic medical record (EMR) in care delivery development in developing countries: a systematic review. Inform Prim Care 2008; 16 (2) 139-45.
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 11 Blaya JA, Fraser HS, Holt B. E-health technologies show promise in developing countries. Health Aff (Millwood) 2010; Feb 29 (2) 244-51.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 12 Millard PS, Bru J, Berger CA. Open-source point-of-care electronic medical records for use in resource-limited settings: systematic review and questionnaire surveys. BMJ Open. 2012 2. (4).
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 13 Pakenham-Walsh N, Bukachi F. Information needs of health care workers in developing countries: a literature review with a focus on Africa. Hum Resour Health 2009; 7: 30.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 14 Ali MK, Shah S, Tandon N. Review of electronic decision-support tools for diabetes care: a viable option for low- and middle-income countries?. J Diabetes Sci Technol 2011; May 5 (3) 553-70.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 15 Oluoch T, Santas X, Kwaro D, Were M, Biondich P, Bailey C. et al. The effect of electronic medical record-based clinical decision support on HIV care in resource-constrained settings: a systematic review. Int J Med Inform 2012; Oct 81 (10) e83-92.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 16 Wootton R. Telemedicine and developing countries-successful implementation will require a shared approach. J Telemed Telecare 2001; 7 Suppl 1 1-6.
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 17 Rey-Moreno C, Reigadas JS, Villalba EE, Vinagre JJ, Fernandez AM. A systematic review of telemedicine projects in Colombia. J Telemed Telecare 2010; 16 (3) 114-9.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 18 Deglise C, Suggs LS, Odermatt P. SMS for disease control in developing countries: a systematic review of mobile health applications. J Telemed Telecare. 2012; 18 (5) 273-81.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 19 Gurman TA, Rubin SE, Roess AA. Effectiveness of mHealth behavior change communication interventions in developing countries: a systematic review of the literature. J Health Commun 2012; 17 Suppl 1 82-104.
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 20 Jean-Francois G, Laetitia R, Stefan D. Is the coverage of google scholar enough to be used alone for systematic reviews. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak 2013; Jan 9 13 (1) 7.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 21 Nourbakhsh E, Nugent R, Wang H, Cevik C, Nugent K. Medical literature searches: a comparison of PubMed and Google Scholar. Health Info Libr J 2012; Sep 29 (3) 214-22.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 22 Tan K, Dear PR, Newell SJ. Clinical decision support systems for neonatal care. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2005 (2) CD004211.
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 23 Durieux P, Trinquart L, Colombet I, Nies J, Walton R, Rajeswaran A. et al. Computerized advice on drug dosage to improve prescribing practice. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008 (3) CD002894.
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 24 Piette JD, Lun KC, Moura Jr. LA, Fraser HS, Mechael PN, Powell J. et al. Impacts of e-health on the outcomes of care in low- and middle-income countries: where do we go from here?. Bull World Health Organ 2012; May 1 90 (5) 365-72.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 25 Marcelo A, Adejumo A, Luna D. Health Informatics for Development: a Three-pronged Strategy of Partnerships, Standards, and Mobile Health. Contribution of the IMIA Working Group on Health Informatics for Development. Yearb Med Inform 2011; 6 (1) 96-101.
    Article in Thieme ConnectPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 26 Bukachi F, Pakenham-Walsh N. Information technology for health in developing countries. Chest 2007; Nov 132 (5) 1624-30.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 27 Fraser HS, Blaya J. Implementing medical information systems in developing countries, what works and what doesn't. AMIA Annu Symp Proc 2010; 232-6.
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 28 World Health Organization. Country health information systems: a review of the current situation and trends. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2012
    Google Scholar
  • 29 Hammond WE, Bailey C, Boucher P, Spohr M, Whitaker P. Connecting information to improve health. Health Aff (Millwood) 2010; eb 29 (2) 284-8.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 30 Gordon AN, Hinson RE. Towards a sustainable framework for computer based health information systems (CHIS) for least developed countries (LDCs). Int J Health Care Qual Assur 2007; 20 (6) 532-44.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 31 Marcelo AB. Health information systems: a survey of frameworks for developing countries. Yearb Med Inform 2010; 25-9.
    Article in Thieme ConnectPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 32 Hersh W, Margolis A, Quiros F, Otero P. Building a health informatics workforce in developing countries. Health Aff (Millwood) 2010; Feb 29 (2) 274-7.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 33 Tierney WM, Kanter AS, Fraser HS, Bailey C. A toolkit for e-health partnerships in low-income nations. Health Aff (Millwood) 2010; Feb 29 (2) 268-73.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar

Correpsondence to:

Daniel Luna MD, MSc PhD cand.
Health Informatics Department
Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires
Gascon 450, CABA, Buenos Aires, Argentina (C1181ACH)
Phone: +5411 4959 0507   
Fax: +5411 4959 0507   

  • References

  • 1 Ammenwerth E. Evidence Based Health Informatics. In: Hovenga E. editor. Health informatics — an overview. Washington, DC: IOS Press; 2010. p. 427-34.
    Google Scholar
  • 2 Bakken S. An informatics infrastructure is essential for evidence-based practice. J Am Med Inform Assoc 2001; May-Jun 8 (3) 199-201.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 3 Sackett DL, Rosenberg WM, Gray JA, Haynes RB, Richardson WS. Evidence based medicine: what it is and what it isn't. BMJ 1996; Jan 13 312 (7023) 71-2.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 4 Rigby M. Evaluation: 16 powerful reasons why not to do it--and 6 over-riding imperatives. Stud Health Technol Inform 2001; 84 (Pt 2) 1198-202.
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 5 Ammenwerth E, de Keizer N. A viewpoint on evidence-based health informatics, based on a pilot survey on evaluation studies in health care informatics. J Am Med Inform Assoc 2007; May-Jun 14 (3) 368-71.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 6 Hebert RJ. Economics of health informatics in developing countries. Stud Health Technol Inform 2011; 164: 162-7.
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 7 Lucas H. Information and communications technology for future health systems in developing countries. Soc Sci Med 2008; May 66 (10) 2122-32.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 8 Ammenwerth E, Schnell-Inderst P, Siebert U. Vision and challenges of Evidence-Based Health Informatics: a case study of a CPOE meta-analysis. Int J Med Inform 2010; Apr 79 (4) e83-8.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 9 Tomasi E, Facchini LA, Maia MF. Health information technology in primary health care in developing countries: a literature review. Bull World Health Organ 2004; Nov 82 (11) 867-74.
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 10 Williams F, Boren SA. The role of the electronic medical record (EMR) in care delivery development in developing countries: a systematic review. Inform Prim Care 2008; 16 (2) 139-45.
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 11 Blaya JA, Fraser HS, Holt B. E-health technologies show promise in developing countries. Health Aff (Millwood) 2010; Feb 29 (2) 244-51.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 12 Millard PS, Bru J, Berger CA. Open-source point-of-care electronic medical records for use in resource-limited settings: systematic review and questionnaire surveys. BMJ Open. 2012 2. (4).
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 13 Pakenham-Walsh N, Bukachi F. Information needs of health care workers in developing countries: a literature review with a focus on Africa. Hum Resour Health 2009; 7: 30.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 14 Ali MK, Shah S, Tandon N. Review of electronic decision-support tools for diabetes care: a viable option for low- and middle-income countries?. J Diabetes Sci Technol 2011; May 5 (3) 553-70.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 15 Oluoch T, Santas X, Kwaro D, Were M, Biondich P, Bailey C. et al. The effect of electronic medical record-based clinical decision support on HIV care in resource-constrained settings: a systematic review. Int J Med Inform 2012; Oct 81 (10) e83-92.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 16 Wootton R. Telemedicine and developing countries-successful implementation will require a shared approach. J Telemed Telecare 2001; 7 Suppl 1 1-6.
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 17 Rey-Moreno C, Reigadas JS, Villalba EE, Vinagre JJ, Fernandez AM. A systematic review of telemedicine projects in Colombia. J Telemed Telecare 2010; 16 (3) 114-9.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 18 Deglise C, Suggs LS, Odermatt P. SMS for disease control in developing countries: a systematic review of mobile health applications. J Telemed Telecare. 2012; 18 (5) 273-81.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 19 Gurman TA, Rubin SE, Roess AA. Effectiveness of mHealth behavior change communication interventions in developing countries: a systematic review of the literature. J Health Commun 2012; 17 Suppl 1 82-104.
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 20 Jean-Francois G, Laetitia R, Stefan D. Is the coverage of google scholar enough to be used alone for systematic reviews. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak 2013; Jan 9 13 (1) 7.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 21 Nourbakhsh E, Nugent R, Wang H, Cevik C, Nugent K. Medical literature searches: a comparison of PubMed and Google Scholar. Health Info Libr J 2012; Sep 29 (3) 214-22.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 22 Tan K, Dear PR, Newell SJ. Clinical decision support systems for neonatal care. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2005 (2) CD004211.
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 23 Durieux P, Trinquart L, Colombet I, Nies J, Walton R, Rajeswaran A. et al. Computerized advice on drug dosage to improve prescribing practice. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008 (3) CD002894.
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 24 Piette JD, Lun KC, Moura Jr. LA, Fraser HS, Mechael PN, Powell J. et al. Impacts of e-health on the outcomes of care in low- and middle-income countries: where do we go from here?. Bull World Health Organ 2012; May 1 90 (5) 365-72.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 25 Marcelo A, Adejumo A, Luna D. Health Informatics for Development: a Three-pronged Strategy of Partnerships, Standards, and Mobile Health. Contribution of the IMIA Working Group on Health Informatics for Development. Yearb Med Inform 2011; 6 (1) 96-101.
    Article in Thieme ConnectPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 26 Bukachi F, Pakenham-Walsh N. Information technology for health in developing countries. Chest 2007; Nov 132 (5) 1624-30.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 27 Fraser HS, Blaya J. Implementing medical information systems in developing countries, what works and what doesn't. AMIA Annu Symp Proc 2010; 232-6.
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 28 World Health Organization. Country health information systems: a review of the current situation and trends. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2012
    Google Scholar
  • 29 Hammond WE, Bailey C, Boucher P, Spohr M, Whitaker P. Connecting information to improve health. Health Aff (Millwood) 2010; eb 29 (2) 284-8.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 30 Gordon AN, Hinson RE. Towards a sustainable framework for computer based health information systems (CHIS) for least developed countries (LDCs). Int J Health Care Qual Assur 2007; 20 (6) 532-44.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 31 Marcelo AB. Health information systems: a survey of frameworks for developing countries. Yearb Med Inform 2010; 25-9.
    Article in Thieme ConnectPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 32 Hersh W, Margolis A, Quiros F, Otero P. Building a health informatics workforce in developing countries. Health Aff (Millwood) 2010; Feb 29 (2) 274-7.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 33 Tierney WM, Kanter AS, Fraser HS, Bailey C. A toolkit for e-health partnerships in low-income nations. Health Aff (Millwood) 2010; Feb 29 (2) 268-73.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar

   Permissions and Reprints