Perspectives on Global Public Health Informatics

Richards, Janise; Fraser, Hamish; Douglas, Gerald

Public health goes well beyond any one country’s borders. Global health focuses on the research and programmatic efforts needed to understand the burden of disease worldwide and the surrounding financial, political, medical, policy, workforce, and infrastructure issues. Important questions exist about the intersection between global health and informatics, as well as the value of systems such as electronic health records, national reporting systems, and mobile health applications. In the past, the use of technology to alleviate suffering and support public health activities took precedence over understanding the environment in which technology has to function or developing the evidence base of what works best. In resource-poor environments, deployments of technological solutions face challenges including lack of stable electrical power, Internet connectivity, and a workforce that can support the systems. This chapter explores these issues through case studies of the implementation of electronic health record systems in two low income countries, supported by international donors and the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Lessons learned emphasize what works, how information systems can improve care, and how to effectively scale local systems to a regional or national level.