Health Information Systems & Technologies

National health information systems that can efficiently channel health information across all levels of the health sector, from communities to the capital, are crucial to building strong health systems. Abt Associates takes a holistic approach to strengthening country health information systems (HIS). We emphasize change management rather than focus solely on using the latest technology tools to speed up processes that may not be working. Abt ensures effective decision-making by making-high quality information available in a timely manner. Abt’s international teams bring a wealth of public health, information technology, and policy and social science research expertise to HIS strengthening efforts.

• Designing and helping to implement a National Health Information System (NHIS) in Kenya;
• Using health-focused geographic information systems (GIS) to visually link data and improve health planning, care distribution, and allocation of scarce resources in Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, and Jordan;
• Creating and scaling nationwide mobile phone-based integrated disease surveillance and response systems to more effectively track and respond to public health outbreaks in tuberculosis, HIV, and other diseases;
• Integrating health financing information with health services statistics to improve decision making and resource allocation with a web-based National Health Accounts (NHA) tool, made available to low- and middle-income countries; and   
• Developing innovative mHealth tools to support health workers and increase access to priority health services.