{"title":"Evaluation of care and clinical outcomes after the implementation of an electronic medical record system for type 1 diabetes management in Rwanda.","authors":"Nathalie Bille, Dirk Lund Christensen, Knut Borch-Johnsen, Crispin Gishoma, Stine Byberg","doi":"10.1080/16549716.2025.2457826","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Electronic medical record (EMR) systems are increasingly used to improve disease management. However, the impact on data quality, quality of care and clinical outcomes for type 1 diabetes (T1D) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has not yet been explored.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>The aim was to evaluate the effect of implementing an EMR system on the quality of care and clinical outcomes for T1D individuals in Rwanda.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The Rwanda Diabetes Association collected data during quarterly district hospital visits. We evaluated the effect of a newly developed and implemented EMR system by assessing differences in clinical attendance and outcomes 2 years before (pre-EMR: February 2020-February 2022) and after (post-EMR: February 2022-February 2024) the deployment of the EMR system.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We found an increase in the number of individuals examined and the number of consultations conducted post-EMR. There was an increase in data completeness on all parameters; however, we also found that more people did not monitor their blood glucose post-EMR. We found a significant increase in clinical attendance, and a reduction in median HbA<sub>1c</sub> levels from 81.4 mmol/mol pre-EMR to 63.9 mmol/mol post-EMR (<i>p</i> < 0.001).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Several quality and clinical indicators improved after the integration of the EMR system in T1D management. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study evaluating the impact of using an EMR system on the quality of care and clinical outcomes for T1D individuals in an SSA context. The long-term effect and implications are yet to be explored.</p>","PeriodicalId":49197,"journal":{"name":"Global Health Action","volume":"18 1","pages":"2457826"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6000,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11792143/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Global Health Action","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2025.2457826","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/2/3 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Electronic medical record (EMR) systems are increasingly used to improve disease management. However, the impact on data quality, quality of care and clinical outcomes for type 1 diabetes (T1D) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has not yet been explored.
Objective: The aim was to evaluate the effect of implementing an EMR system on the quality of care and clinical outcomes for T1D individuals in Rwanda.
Methods: The Rwanda Diabetes Association collected data during quarterly district hospital visits. We evaluated the effect of a newly developed and implemented EMR system by assessing differences in clinical attendance and outcomes 2 years before (pre-EMR: February 2020-February 2022) and after (post-EMR: February 2022-February 2024) the deployment of the EMR system.
Results: We found an increase in the number of individuals examined and the number of consultations conducted post-EMR. There was an increase in data completeness on all parameters; however, we also found that more people did not monitor their blood glucose post-EMR. We found a significant increase in clinical attendance, and a reduction in median HbA1c levels from 81.4 mmol/mol pre-EMR to 63.9 mmol/mol post-EMR (p < 0.001).
Conclusion: Several quality and clinical indicators improved after the integration of the EMR system in T1D management. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study evaluating the impact of using an EMR system on the quality of care and clinical outcomes for T1D individuals in an SSA context. The long-term effect and implications are yet to be explored.
期刊介绍：
Global Health Action is an international peer-reviewed Open Access journal affiliated with the Unit of Epidemiology and Global Health, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine at Umeå University, Sweden. The Unit hosts the Umeå International School of Public Health and the Umeå Centre for Global Health Research.
Vision: Our vision is to be a leading journal in the global health field, narrowing health information gaps and contributing to the implementation of policies and actions that lead to improved global health.
Aim: The widening gap between the winners and losers of globalisation presents major public health challenges. To meet these challenges, it is crucial to generate new knowledge and evidence in the field and in settings where the evidence is lacking, as well as to bridge the gaps between existing knowledge and implementation of relevant findings. Thus, the aim of Global Health Action is to contribute to fuelling a more concrete, hands-on approach to addressing global health challenges. Manuscripts suggesting strategies for practical interventions and research implementations where none already exist are specifically welcomed. Further, the journal encourages articles from low- and middle-income countries, while also welcoming articles originated from South-South and South-North collaborations. All articles are expected to address a global agenda and include a strong implementation or policy component.
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