Title: EMR Data Modeling/Terminology
Consultant (Temporary)
Reports To: PIH-IMB/Rwandan MOH Rockefeller
Grant Team
Location: Kigali and Rwinkwavu,
Rwanda
Organizational Profile:
Partners In Health (“PIH”), co-founded by Paul Farmer and
Ophelia Dahl and headquartered in Boston, MA, is an internationally recognized
non-profit organization whose mission is to provide a preferential option for
the poor in health care. Through its service delivery, training, advocacy and
research, PIH works globally to bring the benefits of modern medical science to
those most in need and to serve as an antidote to despair. PIH has major
programs in Haiti, Peru, Guatemala, Mexico, Russia, Rwanda, Lesotho, Malawi,
Burundi, Kazakhstan, the Dominican Republic, and Boston, working tirelessly to
lessen the joint burden of disease and poverty.
PIH began working in Rwanda in 2005, where today we serve a
catchment area of 800,000 through 37 health centers and three hospitals with
our sister organization, Inshuti Mu Buzima (IMB). Taking the lessons learned and
expertise honed in Haiti, our efforts in Rwanda have achieved rapid success,
gaining the attention of both the highest levels of the Government of Rwanda
and the international community. Through partnership with the Ministry of
Health in our efforts, we have already helped to strengthen the public health
system in the areas we serve and are helping the government develop plans to
replicate elements of our model throughout the country.
In Rwanda, electronic medical records (EMR) make a major
contribution to PIH/IMB’s efforts to strengthen the national and local
healthcare systems. PIH and its partners pioneered the development of
OpenMRS, an open source electronic medical record system, which is currently
being implemented nationally by the Rwandan Government. PIH/IMB and MOH
teams develop and supports EMR in over 250 health centers in Rwanda, with
patient records supporting care for HIV, TB, non-communicable disease, primary
care, antenatal care and oncology.
General Responsibilities:
In 2013, the Rockefeller Foundation awarded PIH a grant to
work with the Rwandan Ministry of Health (MOH) to create a shared national
dictionary for OpenMRS. The current OpenMRS EMR systems supported by
PIH-IMB and the Rwandan MOH do not share a common dictionary, which makes
sharing content between the systems difficult. A successful outcome for
the Rockefeller project will be a standardized national dictionary both systems
can use, a process to maintain a single national dictionary, and the ability to
share clinical content between PIH-IMB and MOH supported systems. This is
a short-term consultant position funded by a grant from the Rockefeller
Foundation. The consultant is responsible for analyzing the current
OpenMRS concept dictionaries used by PIH-IMB and MOH and leading the work to
create a single national dictionary usable by both systems.
Specific Responsibilities:
- Analyzing
the current EMR systems supported by PIH-IMB and MOH, understanding the
functionality of each system and comparing the concepts used in each
system
- Identifying
where the OpenMRS concept dictionaries of the systems are similar and
different
- Making
a detailed plan to standardize the dictionaries, while maintaining the
integrity and functionality of current systems
- Working
with development teams from PIH-IMB and MOH to implement changes needed to
standardize dictionaries and share content between systems
- Develop
a protocol for maintaining a national dictionary and working with the
Rwandan MOH team to implement the protocol
Qualifications:
- Minimum
3-5 years of data modeling experience including work with EMR systems
- Masters
degree in clinical informatics/health informatics or equivalent
experience
- Experience
working with OpenMRS concept dictionaries is strongly preferred
- Working
knowledge of medical terminology; clinical background is an asset
- Experience
with standard terminologies such as ICD10
- Strong
oral and written communications skills
- Excellent
analytical skills
- Ability
to work with a variety of stakeholders, including diverse educational,
professional, and cultural backgrounds
- Willing
to work in a resource-poor setting
