Department of Telehealth, School of Nursing & Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Department of Computer Science, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana.
BMC Health Serv Res. 2021 Oct 15;21(1):1103. doi: 10.1186/s12913-021-07134-4.
The proliferation of mHealth solutions and eRecord systems is inevitable in developing countries, and ensuring their bi-directional interoperability is essential. Interoperability has been described as the ability for two or more systems or components to exchange information and use the information that has been exchanged. Given the importance of linking mHealth solutions to eRecord systems in the developing world, a suitable interoperability framework is required to provide an agreed approach to interoperability and specify common elements. Although eHealth interoperability frameworks exist in the literature, none meet all the requirements for linking mHealth solutions to eRecord systems in developing countries. The aim of this paper was to describe the design and development of a conceptual framework for linking mHealth solutions to eRecord systems in Botswana, as an exemplar.
An iterative and reflective process was adopted, supported by existing literature and research including consultations with eHealth experts, and guidance from existing frameworks. These collectively identified key elements, concepts, and standards relevant and essential for framework design and development.
The mHealth-eRecord Interoperability Framework (mHeRIF) was developed which highlights the need for: governance and regulation of mHealth and eRecord systems, a national health information exchange, and which interoperability levels to achieve. Each of these are supported by integral themes and concepts. It also addresses the need for regular review, accreditation, and alignment of framework concepts and themes with a National eHealth Strategy Interoperability Development Process. To demonstrate the framework's applicability, a proposed architecture for the Kgonafalo mobile telemedicine programme is presented.
Interoperable mHealth solutions and eRecords systems have the potential to strengthen health systems. This paper reports the design and development of an evidence-based mHeRIF to align with, build upon, and expand National eHealth Strategies by guiding the linking of mHealth solutions to eRecord systems in Botswana and other developing countries facing similar circumstances.
移动医疗解决方案和电子病历系统在发展中国家的普及是不可避免的，确保它们的双向互操作性至关重要。互操作性被描述为两个或更多系统或组件交换信息并使用已交换信息的能力。鉴于在发展中国家将移动医疗解决方案与电子病历系统相连接的重要性，需要一个合适的互操作性框架来提供一种商定的互操作性方法，并指定通用要素。尽管文献中有电子健康互操作性框架，但没有一个框架完全满足将移动医疗解决方案与发展中国家的电子病历系统相连接的要求。本文的目的是描述一个概念框架的设计和开发，该框架用于将博茨瓦纳的移动医疗解决方案与电子病历系统相连接，作为一个范例。
采用迭代和反思的过程，该过程得到了现有文献和研究的支持，包括与电子健康专家的磋商以及现有框架的指导。这些共同确定了关键要素、概念和标准，这些要素、概念和标准与框架的设计和开发相关且必不可少。
开发了移动医疗-电子病历互操作性框架（mHeRIF），该框架强调需要：对移动医疗和电子病历系统进行治理和监管，建立国家卫生信息交换，并实现互操作性的水平。这些都由重要的主题和概念来支持。它还解决了定期审查、认证以及将框架概念和主题与国家电子健康战略互操作性发展过程保持一致的需求。为了展示该框架的适用性，提出了一个 Kgonafalo 移动远程医疗方案的建议架构。
可互操作的移动医疗解决方案和电子病历系统有可能加强卫生系统。本文报告了一个基于证据的 mHeRIF 的设计和开发，该框架旨在与博茨瓦纳和其他面临类似情况的发展中国家的国家电子健康战略保持一致，在此基础上进行构建和扩展，指导将移动医疗解决方案与电子病历系统相连接。
