The Challenge of Scaling Electronic Medical Record Systems

Ten years ago few information professionals working in international development would have considered it feasible to sustain an electronic medical record system in many developing countries. Today there are several successful examples that demonstrate what can be achieved with careful use of technology. It is time we thought carefully about what needs to be done to scale up the impact of these systems.

In this presentation CICT Senior Director Gordon Cressman summarizes the potential of EMRs and explains the challenge of achieving large scale impact. The presentation uses the example of the Philippines to depict the scale of many public health systems and lists seven key principles that should guide strategies to scale up and sustain the use of EMRs using local resources.