DECEMBER 20, 2011
The modified MIDAS information system, installed with support from the HS-STAR project, substantially improves the Armenian health information system.
Thanks to the initiative of the Ministry of Health (MoH) State Health Agency (SHA) and support from the USAID HS-STAR project, the updated version of the MIDAS-3 automated information system was recently installed in all Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities of Armenia. The overall purpose of the MIDAS system is to improve the efficiency of healthcare service organization, management, quality improvement and financing in Armenian health institutions through better health information. Originally installed in 2009 with support from the USAID PHCR project, MIDAS enables health managers to access numerous types of health-related data from all levels of the healthcare system.
Data entry specialists at health facilities and health providers are particularly pleased with the new system as it simplifies their work and allows them to be more efficient. Some new user-friendly features of the system include a new patient search function and better organized windows that facilitate the use of various functions. Another advantage of the new system is the ability to export data by disease type or other criteria to reports in Excel. This report extraction feature increases the work efficiency of doctors. Armine Durgaryan, the computer operator/data entry specialist at Yerevan N20 polyclinic, has experienced considerable positive changes in her work since the new system was installed in October 2011. As Ms. Durgaryan explains, “Software operation time has decreased substantially. Before, it took 15-20 minutes to extract a report. Now it doesn’t even take 5 minutes to prepare the same report! In addition, the system now includes a special field for each data entry specialist’s code, so any problems with the data can be quickly traced to the responsible data entry specialist and fixed. In terms of time management, this innovation has tangibly increased our efficiency.”
The MoH SHA played a key role in coordinating the process of installing the revised software from the very beginning. Samvel Kharazyan, head of the Health Services and Information Department at SHA, explained the decision to revise MIDAS, “The idea to modify and modernize the MIDAS system occurred during an initiative by UNICEF to automate the collection of information on child development and nutrition. The MoH had a problem assessing the child malnutrition and anemia situation in Armenia, so they asked us to assist them in obtaining the relevant data. Since the previous MIDAS-3 system was a bit rigid and couldn’t completely satisfy the needs of the primary healthcare system, the need to modify its structure and refresh its records became evident.” It was, therefore, decided to combine these modifications with UNICEF’s proposals in the new version of the software.
The HS-STAR project provided pivotal technical and material support to the MIDAS revision process since its inception. The HS-STAR Health Information Systems Advisor, Davit Khachatryan, supported the development of the technical proposal for the system revision. HS-STAR then hired COMAIN, an Armenian information technology company, to develop the new system. Doctors and computer operators from various medical institutions in Armenia participated in testing to inform improvements to the system. According to Dr. Khachatryan, “The bulk of the changes in the new version were based on the suggestions of those specialists who directly dealt with the system.”
Following installation of the new software in 46 pilot health facilities, the new MIDAS was installed in all Armenian PHC facilities. From September to October 2011, COMAIN conducted trainings for 360 PHC facility computer operators on the features of the new system. By November, nine months of data from all PHC facilities was collected and processed through the modified software. The HS-STAR project will continue to provide technical support to the development, improvement, and operation of the new MIDAS system and other healthcare information system efforts in Armenia.
