Design and implementation of a clinical laboratory information system in a low-resource setting.

Background: Reducing laboratory errors presents a significant opportunity for both cost reduction and healthcare quality improvement. This is particularly true in low-resource settings where laboratory errors are further exacerbated by poor infrastructure and shortages in a trained workforce. Informatics interventions can be used to address some of the sources of laboratory errors.

Developing a point-of-care electronic medical record system for TB/HIV co-infected patients: experiences from Lighthouse Trust, Lilongwe, Malawi.

Background: Implementation of user-friendly, real-time, electronic medical records for patient management may lead to improved adherence to clinical guidelines and improved quality of patient care. We detail the systematic, iterative process that implementation partners, Lighthouse clinic and Baobab Health Trust, employed to develop and implement a point-of-care electronic medical records system in an integrated, public clinic in Malawi that serves HIV-infected and tuberculosis (TB) patients.

Methods: Baobab Health Trust, the system developers, conducted a series of technical and clinical meetings with Lighthouse and Ministry of Health to determine specifications.