To better reflect its functionality, we have renamed the Windows version of the iHRIS Suite from “Offline iHRIS” to “Windows iHRIS.”
Although originally developed to be used in locations with limited or no Internet connectivity, Windows iHRIS can now be accessed via a local network or the Internet. Therefore, it is not strictly an “offline” application.
In conjunction with the release today of iHRIS Suite 3.1.3, we have also released a minor update to Windows iHRIS (version 3.1.3). This update incorporates some minor bug fixes. In addition, the job application in iHRIS Manage is now a module that can be enabled or disabled.
To download the latest version or for more information, please visit the Windows iHRIS page on our website.
We are pleased to announce the release of minor updates to all three components in the iHRIS Suite.
iHRIS Manage and iHRIS Qualify 3.1.3 incorporate several bug fixes, and we have improved translation support to better enable the software interface to be translated into multiple languages using Launchpad’s translations feature. iHRIS Manage also has one new feature: the job application is now a module that can be turned on and off.
The full iHRIS Suite or any component may be downloaded from our Software Download web page. Please read the README file and installation instructions before downloading.
You may access a live, working demo of each of the systems via our website as well. To get started, visit the iHRIS Software Suite page.
If you have any questions about this release please contact us through our website or at hris@capacityproject.org.
Dykki Settle, the Capacity Project’s Informatics Director, and Barbara Stillwell, the Project’s HR Policy and Planning Advisor, published an article in the September 10-16 issue of Nursing Standard, a British nursing journal. The article, “Capacity for Progress,” gives examples of how the Capacity Project is using information technology (IT) in Africa and discusses how the resulting systems can be used to support planning and management of the health workforce.
One of the examples points out how the Project’s HRIS strengthening work in Uganda is helping the MOH and 4 councils have accurate and accessible data on their health workforce. For many African countries, health workforce data is still in paper form and stored in different places and therefore difficult to aggregate. This was the case when the Capacity Project started working in Uganda a few years ago. Although one could find out how many nurses passed their final exam, they didn’t know how many went on to become licensed, where they were deployed, or how many were leaving the health workforce. Now, the country is almost finished transitioning from their paper-based system to an electronic system – the MOH and 3 of the councils have finished entering data into their iHRIS Manage and iHRIS Qualify software. The article highlights how information already available from their iHRIS Qualify system has been combined with geographical information system mapping to illustrate health worker issues, such as comparing rural and urban deployment to HIV/AIDS prevalence. This type of information and presentation can inspire targeted workforce interventions such as creating incentives for nurses to return to their home regions to work.
The article also discusses the Project’s work in S. Sudan to help develop a resource center in Juba Teaching Hospital. The article states that the center is unique in S. Sudan and has become a communications hub for hospital staff. The center has a library of medical books and journals, seven computers for staff to use, and a satellite has been installed for internet access.
Half of the article is dedicated to exploring how mobile phones and handheld personal digital assistants (PDAs) can be used to improve health service information and delivery. The Capacity Project is exploring how these devices can be used to collect information for health management information systems and to disseminate health information in rural areas. For instance, a text message can be sent out to alert health professionals of a disease outbreak. In the next year, the Capacity Project will focus on how mobile technology can be used to access health workers in very remote areas, like those working with nomadic tribes in Kenya. The article points out that mobile nurses can reduce maternal mortality rates by using mobile technology to quickly diagnose and address critical issues.
The Capacity Project HRIS team is hoping to write additional articles this year to submit to peer-reviewed journals.
What is happening with HRIS Strengthening? Get news about our ongoing work in the field, find out when new features and releases of the software are available, learn more about human resource information systems, and join the conversation. Your comments and questions are welcome.