Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33958826›Full record

ArticleBulletin of the World Health Organization2021

Transforming the health information system using mobile and geographic information technologies, Papua New Guinea.

Alexander Rosewell, Phil Shearman, Sundar Ramamurthy, Rob Akers

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Alexander RosewellSchool of Population Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia.
Phil ShearmanPapua New Guinea Remote Sensing Centre, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.
Sundar RamamurthyPapua New Guinea Remote Sensing Centre, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.
Rob AkersAsian Development Bank, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

In the context of declining economic growth, now exacerbated by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, Papua New Guinea is increasing the efficiency of its health systems to overcome difficulties in reaching global health and development targets. Before 2015, the national health information system was fragmented, underfunded, of limited utility and accessed infrequently by health authorities. We built an electronic system that integrated mobile technologies and geographic information system data sets of every house, village and health facility in the country. We piloted the system in 184 health facilities across five provinces between 2015 and 2016. By the end of 2020, the system's mobile tablets were rolled out to 473 facilities in 13 provinces, while the online platform was available in health authorities of all 22 provinces, including church health services. Fractured data siloes of legacy health programmes have been integrated and a platform for civil registration systems established. We discuss how mobile technologies and geographic information systems have transformed health information systems in Papua New Guinea over the past 6 years by increasing the timeliness, completeness, quality, accessibility, flexibility, acceptability and utility of national health data. To achieve this transformation, we highlight the importance of considering the benefits of mobile tools and using rich geographic information systems data sets for health workers in primary care in addition to the needs of public health authorities.

Indexed as

COVID-19Data CollectionGeographic Information SystemsGovernment ProgramsHealth Information SystemsHumansPapua New GuineaPublic Health SurveillanceSARS-CoV-2Wireless Technology

Identifiers

PMID33958826
PMCPMC8061671

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.