Than Htike Aung

Here are top 3 themes I think Myanmar still needs improvement in order of importance.
1. Technology (Theme 3)
Myanmar still faces gaps in digital infrastructure and data interoperability. Majority of health facilities still rely on paper-based systems, with limited Electronic Health Record (EHR) adoption. Fragmented data systems between public,…[Read more]

Could you list the disease outbreaks that have been declared as the Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)?
1. 2009 Novel influenza A (H1N1) pandemic: Declared on 25 April 2009; the first PHEIC under the International Health Regulations (2005).
2. 2014 polio eradication: Declared on 5 May 2014; remains ongoing due to continued…[Read more]

1.) Which single design limitation most threatens valid estimates of sensitivity and representativeness? How would you address it within six weeks?
The most significant design limitation that threatens valid estimates of both sensitivity and representativeness in the AEFI surveillance system is the exclusion of private health facilities and some…[Read more]

Verification and preparation
1. Establish the existence of an outbreak: IT systems like automated surveillance and real-time dashboards help detect unusual increases in cases and trigger early alerts.

2. Verify the diagnosis: Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) and teleconsultation tools enable accurate and rapid confirmation of the…[Read more]

One of the digital technologies highlighted in Budd et al. (2020) that I find particularly significant is the use of Bluetooth-enabled COVID-19 contact-tracing applications. While the article discusses a variety of approaches, I will focus on the joint Google–Apple framework, which was rolled out in April and May 2020.

COVID-19 spreads p…[Read more]

One of the digital technologies highlighted in Budd et al. (2020) that I find particularly significant is the use of Bluetooth-enabled COVID-19 contact-tracing applications. While the article discusses a variety of approaches, I will focus on the joint Google–Apple framework, which was rolled out in April and May 2020.

COVID-19 spreads p…[Read more]

Thanks for asking. ART treatment data is predictable easily. Moreover, they follow ART management guideline. Therefore, 90% of patients have similar treatment history. Based on this, expected treatment history (visit date, drug regimen, etc) are predicted by the computer using machine learning and human only needs to verify using physical paper…[Read more]

Should you give the data out?

No. Sharing identifiable data without consent will violate confidentiality and could cause misuse or harm to patients.

How do you not violate any of the General Principles of Informatics Ethics

Principle of Information Privacy and Disposition: Individuals have the right to control their own health information and…[Read more]

1. How can surveillance help to detect and control the disease?

Surveillance can identify unusual increases in dengue-like illnesses, track seasonality, hotspots and high-risk populations for early detection of outbreak.
So that, it can trigger timely vector control interventions (such as fogging, larvicide application and community clean-up),…[Read more]

I agree with you that failure to comply with standard will have many consequences in the future.

I agree with you that without standard, there is no interoperability and affects the patient care.

I agree with you to encourage balance and limit after-hours will help to reduce burnout. Offline option should be compulsory feature in low resource settings.

I strongly agree with you for dedicated time for documentation within working hours instead of after hours will help to reduce burnout in MM.

Thanks for asking. Yes, it is used in about 40-50% of all ART sites in MM.

Thanks for asking. It is currently a national platform for National AIDS Program.

As a health information professional, we must act as professionals and consider all cases professionally regardless of whether there is a personal connection or not. In this case, we must consider as a person we don’t know even, she is my friend or she is a celebrity.

What should you do? Can you tell your friend?
I should do nothing. And also c…[Read more]

I would like to discuss the same project posted in previous topic discussion.
ADKAR Model

Awareness
Stakeholders were clearly informed of the need to move from paper-based systems to an electronic record platform. For every expansion, we also advocate management level and explain to operational level staffs why we need to change.

Desire
Program…[Read more]

The National AIDS Program (NAP) of Myanmar has successfully implemented a customized version of OpenMRS as the national platform for recording and managing all HIV patients receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Key Success Factors

Data
Previous efforts to digitize ART patient management failed primarily because of difficulties in converting…[Read more]

In the implementation of OpenMRS for HIV care, we integrated a programmatic, guideline-based decision support system to assist clinicians in adhering to national treatment protocols. This feature ensures that 99.9% of treatments are aligned with national program guidelines, with the remaining less than 0.1% representing rare special cases that are…[Read more]

If hospitals do not use the ICD standard, disease classification would become inconsistent, making it difficult to share and compare data across facilities, compile national health statistics, or ensure interoperability. This would lead to ineffective data analysis, wrong diagnoses, and poor treatment or disease management. It would also hinder…[Read more]