Health Management Information System (HMIS)

q  Health Management Information System (HMIS) is use in assisting for the effective planning, development, coordination and evaluation of the individual program. It is a decision support system for health management and a system that links information to managerial concern.

q Public health informatics is the application of information on science & technology to public health practice & research.

ü  Data:- attributes, variables, events or discrete observations

ü  Information:- reduced, tabulated & summarized

ü  Intelligence:- information with social & political value

WHO defines Health Care System as including all the activities where primary purpose is to promote, restore or maintain health.

Benefits of Health Management Information Systems (HMIS) as stated by World Health Organization (WHO):

Ø  

Helping decision makers to detect and control emerging and endemic health problems, monitor progress towards health goals, and promote equity.

Ø  Empowering individuals and communities with timely and understandable health-related information, and drive improvements in quality of services.

Ø  Strengthening the evidence base for effective health policies and enabling innovation through research.

Ø  Improving governance, mobilizing new resources, and ensuring accountability in the way they are used. 

Functions of HMIS

1.      Determination of information requirement

2.      Information gathering, processing and monitoring

3.      Production of report.

4.      Dissemination of report to users.

5.      Documentation

6.      Training of generators and users of HMIS 

Quality of Good HIS

•  Should be population-based data
• Data should have a sensible correlation
• Should use operational terms & functional terms
• Data presentations by diagrams, figures & charts
• Data feedback should be possible

Components of HIS

•  Vital events
•  Demographic characters
•  Health data(morbidity, mortality, disability & quality of life)
• Health resources(money, material, manpower)
• Health service(bed occupancy)Health service outcome

Uses of HIS

• Health status of community is measured
• Health care need is assessed
• Health problems are identified
• Health status comparison is possible
• Planning, organizing, executing &  evaluation are possible
• Impact of health services is assessed
• A tool for research activity

Sources of HIS

• Registration of vital events
• Notification of diseases
• Census
• Sample registration system
• Hospital records
• National registry of diseases
• Survey report
• Screening report
• Surveillance report 

HMIS in Kedah

Formed in June 2003 and started off with 4 staff members.

This unit monitors and updates all the information systems in Kedah.

Information Systems include:

• 1.      Human Resource Information System (HRMIS)
• 2.      CDCIS System & TBIS System
• 3.      Tele-health System
• 4.      Universal Service Provision
• 5.      Diabetic Registry of Malaysia
• 6.      National AIDS Registry

This unit is responsible also in buying computers and computer software besides giving training to hospital staff on how to use the information system.

Communicable Disease Control Information System (CDCIS)

• An online program/website to register the new cases of communicable diseases.
• Once the cases are registered, the cases can be reviewed by the higher health centers.
• This way the number of cases in the whole of Malaysia which has been reported can be traced and precautions taken before the communicable diseases spread.
• CDCIS is also useful in keeping records of such cases.
• The cases will be notified by the doctors either in the general or private hospitals. Doctors will call up the Health Office to notify them and provide them with necessary information.
• CDCIS is now known as E-Notifikasi, which can be assessed by anyone with a registered username and password.
• It can be accessed via the following link:

                                          http://enotifikasi.moh.gov.my 

~ CDCIS Screenshot ~

E-Dengue

• It is a new online system specific for Dengue cases. 
• It is a branch of CDCIS, started in January 2011.

HMIS-Tuberculosis (HMIS-TB)

• HMIS-TB is a system of collection of data based on clinic or treatment centre. At the same time, notification of communicable diseases including tuberculosis is sent and registered at the district health office.
• This leads to a lot of contradiction in terms of data between the treatment centers and district health office. 
• It also indirectly causes the failure of the Epidemiology Unit and State Health Office to obtain accurate information about tuberculosis cases in their own district although they are supposed to be responsible in the coordination of control and preventive measures. 

TUBERCULOUS INFORMATION SYSTEM (TBIS)

• TBIS is a new system which is used to overcome problems with HMIS-TB. This is neither software nor a website. It is merely a system which uses paper forms to record information about Tuberculosis.
• Various forms are available for different purposes:

Form 10A1 – details of the patient
Form 10A2 – details of the treatment
Form 10C – for contact tracing
Form 10D – to inform defaulter
Form 10K – for transfer of patients to other district
Form 10J – for patients who die while receiving treatment, or those who die within 6 months after 

cessation of treatment 

VEKPRO

• This is software which is installed on selected computers in the DHO.
• Unlike e-notifikasi, whatever data being entered into the software is available only to that particular computer user.
• It covers various vector-borne diseases such as Dengue, Malaria, Filariasis, Japanese Encephalitis etc.
• The data is compiled and sent to the State Health Office ideally on a daily basis.
• The difference between VEKPRO and e-notifikasi is that the keying in of data into VEKPRO requires the fulfillment of a few criteria whereas for e-notifikasi, such conditions are not necessary.
• For example, a dengue case can only be recorded into VEKPRO if the patient is having certain criteria such as fever more than 38^oC, joint pain and so on. As for e-notifikasi, the case has to be keyed in even though the patient is suspected for dengue but is not having the symptoms as stated in the VEKPRO system. 

~ VEKPRO screenshot ~

WATER QUALITY SYSTEM (WQS)

• Software used by Kawalan Mutu Air Minuman (KMAM).
• Functions like VEKPRO, enables the officer to record all the readings obtained from every trip for water sampling.
• Each data sheet belongs to a sampling station, in that sheet are various columns for the readings, such as turbidity, conductivity, chlorine level etc. Again, the report has to be saved and emailed to higher level for reporting.
• Only installed on one computer per DHO, and the officer in charge has to bring the computer to the State Health Office for the installation process. 

~ National AIDS Registry screenshot ~

~ Diabetic Registry of Malaysia screenshot ~