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Zambia
- First Country in Africa to Introduce the EMR Technology
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Lungowe Zulu using CCPTS system at Nangongwe Clinic.
(PHOTO: USAID/Zambia)
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Agness is a midwife and the coordinator
for Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) and test counseling
services at the Nangongwe Clinic in Kafue District, Zambia. The clinic
started using the Smart Card -- or electronic medical record system (EMRs)
-- in April 2005, and already has more than 1,000 clients who are users
of this system.
With the Smart Card service, Agness can access up-to-date medical information
on her patients and compile end-of-month reports faster than when she
used paper records. She has participated in trainings on the use of the
EMR and is proud to be able to work with the new technology to care for
her patients.
Zambia is the first country in Africa to introduce the EMR technology
that is critically important for people on antiretroviral therapy because
it allows careful monitoring of their drug use and resistance. Helping
to keep more people from having to switch from first-to second-line drugs,
EMRs also provide a way to save the enormous costs associated with second-line
regimens.
Patients also appreciate a Smart Card health record that is close to their
fingertips. Bester, a 30-year-old woman receiving PMTCT services at Nangongwe,
thinks it is good that all her medical information is in the card so that
“…even if I get into an accident and can’t explain myself,
the doctors have all of my information.” She regularly brings the
card with her to the clinic and is pleased that her medical record is
always complete and current.
As of October 2006, more than 60,000 people in Zambia had received EMRs,
and the number of Smart Cards distributed and sites set up with the Continuity
of Care Patient Tracking System (CCPTS) is increasing daily. The transition
to health care facilities using Smart Cards has been fairly smooth and
adherence for use is estimated at 98%.
The EMR system is funded by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS
Relief, and is the product of collaboration between the Zambian Ministry
of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Global AIDS Program (GAP).
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