OpenHIE Partner: JSI

Capabilities & JSI in the Digital Health Community

Implementing Open Source National Health Information Systems (HIS)

JSI developed an electronic Logistics Management and Information System (eLMIS)  using the open source platform OpenLMIS, and deployed the tool in Tanzania and  Zambia. eLMIS integrates all public health commodities and accommodates the special  needs of vaccines, supporting supply chain function in central and regional warehouses,  and at more than 8,000 service delivery points. Working with the Ministries of Health in  Zambia and Tanzania, JSI documented system requirements using the CDRM  (Collaborative Requirements Development Methodology) process, developed a  significant portion of the codebase of OpenLMIS, and deployed the system in both  countries. In 2019, the MoH declared eLMIS the national logistics system for Zambia’  and now, over 600 sites across Zambia now use the Facility Edition. Further, JSI is  enabling the MoH to make eLMIS interoperable with SmartCare. In Tanzania, JSI is  making eLMIS interoperable with the country’s HMIS, which is built on DHIS2. In both  countries, JSI has been training eLMIS “super users” sharing expertise and ensuring the  sustainability of operations for Ministries. Beyond this work at the facility level, JSI has  supporting open source logistics solutions at the main institutional level with the “Central  Edition” in Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, as well as Zambia and Tanzania; related systems are  deployed in Kenya and Ethiopia under different branding. Sector specific systems are  deployed across the globe including a Contraceptives LMIS and a Vaccines LMIS both  in Pakistan.

Supporting Country Implementation of DHIS2

JSI has been leveraging and supporting DHIS2 as an essential health tool with  Ministries of Health (MOH) in support of their health systems in 13 countries through  design, technical assistance, and training. Under USAID MEASURE Evaluation alone  JSI helped to deploy DHIS2 for routine health information capture and management in  Burundi, Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, and Tanzania. In  countries like Ethiopia, JSI is contributing to DHIS2 customization for the national HMIS.  We have helped countries develop their DHIS2 systems at all levels- from integrated  community case management to national disease surveillance. Our commitment to  promoting DHIS2 as an open source health information solution extends to program  monitoring- for example, JSI designed PIMS, a custom reporting platform built on  DHIS2 that is used by more than 300 implementing partners in South Africa to report  PEPFAR activity data. 

Promoting Open Source Web Tools

JSI has 9 years of expertise implementing Drupal web solutions for countries and  projects. We have built,managed, and developed content for more than 20  U.S.Government-funded Drupal websites, including hiv.gov, usaid.gov, and pmi.gov. As  a recipient of an associate award, TB DIAH, under MEASURE Evaluation JSI  developed the Data Hub feature of the TB DIAH website. The site features a data hub,  guidance, and tools to support the work of the global TB community by making possible  optimal analysis and use of TB data to inform national TB programs, policies, and  USAID-supported interventions. JSI built the site using the open source Drupal content  management system, including three contributed modules that JSI maintains (Charts,  Views Database Connector, and Views Simple Math Field). 

Setting and Promoting Interoperability Standards

JSI promotes interoperability by supporting Ministries of Health to create functional and  effective health information exchange systems that inform country-level decision  making. JSI supported the Government of Tanzania and the Ministry of Health,  Community, Development, Gender, Elderly, and Children (MoHCDGEC) under the  USAID Maternal and Child Survival Program (MCSP) to implement arguably the most  advanced health information exchange (HIE) in sub-saharan Africa: the Tanzania  Health Information Mediator (HIM). The interoperable system accepts data from  different systems and exchanges data to enable individual systems to all have the same  information. The HIM currently integrates 14 health systems in Tanzania and shares  patient data from the seven largest national hospitals, facilitating improved decision  making for health workers at all levels. JSI established and collaborates with the MoH’s  technical working group to assess other health sector information systems that can  exchange information through the HIM. Additionally, we work with the MoH’s Project  Management Office unit, which provides a holistic view of all information systems in the  country in order to better harmonize the different systems. The system was highlighted  at the first OpenHIE Conference in Arusha, Tanzania in August of 2018 and was  launched in January 2019. 

JSI in OpenHIE

Ethiopia DUP

Ethiopia’s Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) is supported by JSI and our partners to implement the Ethiopia Data Use Partnership (DUP). DUP, funded by the Bill & Melinda  Gates Foundation, supports the FMOH in addressing current HIS challenges on a national scale in both urban and rural settings. The project aims to transform Ethiopia’s  information system architecture and build local capacity in governance, data  management, and information use by supporting the government’s plans to identify, introduce, and scale the most effective HIS solutions. JSI and its partners customized the core functionalities of DHIS2 to the Ethiopian context and deployed it in 2017. In  2018, more than 7000 health workers were trained on how to use the system as part of  a local ownership effort. As of 2019, the implementation of DHIS2 in Ethiopia has  improved the service reporting rate to greater than 90% and diseases reporting to 80%  in both in-patient and outpatient hospitals. In November of 2019, the FMOH supported  by the DUP will host the 2nd OpenHIE meeting in Addis Ababa; the conference is  expected to have 300 people in attendance (50% growth from the 2018 meeting and  more than a dozen countries represented).

Principles of Digital Development/DHIRT

JSI is an endorser and key steward of the Principles for Digital Development. JSI is  working to promote the Principles through the development of supporting guidelines and  best practices for the digital development community, including the Digital Health  Investment Review Tool (DHIRT). The tool, for use by funders and implementers alike,  encourages program designers to consider using open data, software, and standards in  order to develop a sustainable and effective digital system.