There's Nothing PIH Can't Do
In their spare time healing the world's poorest in Haiti, Peru, and other parts of the world from Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis and treating patients with antiretrovirals for HIV/AIDS where large institutions like the WHO previously held to do such was too expensive, the Boston based non profit is now developing software. Not only is PIH developing software, but open source software at that.
Parters In Health recently received the "Tech Award" as one of the "Agilent Technologies Foundation Health Award Laureates" for a web based medical records system. PIH writes on their website the system is used "for tracking patients, treatment regimens and pharmaceutical needs at more than 150 clinics in Peru, Haiti and Rwanda. The system has helped PIH and its partners improve patient care, manage resources and supplies, reduce costs and reinforce our ability to generate reports and conduct research. The Rwandan government is currently working with PIH to roll out the system to HIV clinics nationwide."
In a Red Herring article, PIH explains they were using a desktop system in Lima, Peru about five years ago that held the treatment records for over 100 MDRTB patients. The clinic was robbed, along with the entire medical record system. The new web-based system is better equipped for data security - everything is backed up off-site.
The open source system currently runs on Oracle's database. As the system is web based, perhaps it is an application suitable for running on the Drupal web platform. Drupal can run on Oracle's database thanks to recent work headed by Nicolas Tostin. Hamish Fraser, PIH's Director of Informatics and Telemedicine, and main man behind PIH's software, has plans to make the software work on an open source database server as well.
The need for the new software developed by PIH sounds high. Based on some past reading behind the strategy for treatment of MDR-TB with community based therapy and HIV/AIDS with DOTS (directly observer therapy), remote access to the web-based application to allow the network of community based healthcare workers to record treatment and observations via cell phone/GSM network from remote, local, or rural areas could save time and improve the system. This will be an exciting project to watch, and the prognosis looks great with Partners In Health behind the project.
1 Comment
PIH can do all?
I was a health worker in PIH. I take the chance to travel across some countries for family bussiness. This is mi point of view as healthcare worker around the "unique and team-based model" of PIH.
PIH´s core is drug supply to the poorest TBC and VIH patients (donations). Indeed, they also managing another devices and equipment - hospital beds, anaesthesia machines, ECG monitor, esterilizers, medical freezers, fans -but the "hard core" of supply is drugs. Anti-TBC drugs. And more recently, VIH-drugs. Yes, another drugs for patient support and paliative care for adverse drug reactions are used.But the first-line therapy are drugs for TBC and VIH.
If you need a door,you search for a carpenter. If you must build a house, you call to the bricklayer, or an engineer if your project is big. If your enterprise need to work with patients, it must to call physicians. And no any physician.
If you aim is to send medicines to patients, you must search and find an professional trained and with "expertise" in the ground. Obviously, you don`t call for an agronomist. Or an gasfiter. You must to call for a pharmacist.
Why a pharmacist? Because only a pharmacist can deal with the challenge of the drug supply. Another professionals can do the trial, but your performance don`t be optimal.
In other words: The medicines don`t be supplied at time and will expired out. The sistems of quality assessment will be inexistents - or only exists in the paper, or the PC screen.
The personal and workers with the mission of packing, handling, receiving, managing, feddback the entire system must be pharmacy technicians guided for a pharmacist. The drug use evaluation also must be guided - or co-worked for a pharmacist.
The drug supply don't a shopping, or a store where you can put any person and she- or he- will gain experience.
The drug supply don`t a ground for "team work", or "community-based work" This terms,and your meaning, has been misused and misleaded. Another times -and countries or chairmen - for unknowledgement. Another times not.
I was an observer of this reality. In three countries. Don`t be a financial issue. Is a leading issue.
If PIH really want assure it that the proper people will be in the place- and status - proper in their offices around the world, must deploy audits. But TRUE audits. Or supervisions. But TRUE supervisions. An activity of this nature that is programmed and executed with the knowledgement of the audited, is a lie. And a lie-for-two.
How many pharmacists are placed in the PIH's world offices? And how many pharmacists ARE WORKING as pharmacists?
How many drug utilization studies has been performed by PIH's pharmacists and physicians?
Where are the outcomes? Where are the proofs?
If PIH agrees with this claim "There's Nothing PIH Can't Do" satisfying the minimal criteria for drug supply, drug utilization and quality patient care, then I must has been in another planet. Perhaps, I confuse me and I see an pharmacist and not a man withonly a bachelor as chairman of supply. Or an not-related healthcare professional as logistic manager.
Another question: If Bill Gates is one of PIH's sponsors, and is a foe of free software (open source), in not this ilogical?
In conclusion: PIH shows great achievements, but if you begin to see the details (yes, these can don`t put in the guidelines or the PowerPoint), you will see a very inefficient management of drug dupply. Very expensive, very improvised, and devoid of a formally trained for the performing of a suitable overview of how must be managed and improved the chain drug supply
With regards,
A