The Balamu team is in the implementation phase of developing the digital infrastructure through an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system. This will improve quality of care and capacity in rural Uganda.
In resource limited settings such as rural Uganda, health records and medical histories are often charted on paper forms. This often results in loss of valuable patient health information. Furthermore, as the prevalence of NCDs increases, longitudinal health data will be inevitable for the management of complex medical conditions. We are in the process of developing a digital infrastructure in Nakaseke district to improve the quality of, access to, and monitoring of NCD care in the region. The EMR system is tailored to the local environment and needs, while still ensuring high-level security for the protection of personal health information.
During the past month, our Ugandan team trained 18 health workers in Nakaseke district hospital to familiarise them with the use of the system. The system will be used for our weekly patient consultations and will ease processes towards patient evaluation, follow-up and the monitoring of care.