Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023;31(4):265-269.
doi: 10.5455/aim.2023.31.265-269.

Technical Factors Influencing the Health Information System in Kosova

Ardita Baraku  1 , Naser Ramadani  1   2 , Roland Bal  3
Affiliations

Technical Factors Influencing the Health Information System in Kosova

Ardita Baraku et al. Acta Inform Med. 2023.

Abstract

Background: Health information systems (HIS) are considered a vital tool to strengthen Low- and Middle-Income Countries' (LMIC) health systems. Unfortunately, little is known about the technical factors of HIS in LMIC.

Objective: This study aimed to make an empirical contribution, using the case of Kosova to find out about HIS development, trying to identify dysfunctional areas and opportunities for improvement.

Methods: Technical factors of the PRISM framework were analyzed via document analysis, and semi-structured interviews were held with 15 respondents from the Ministry of Health, the National Institute of Public Health of Kosova, and the Hospital Clinical University Services of Kosova. Interviews were transcribed and coded deductively, using the defined theoretical framework to guide the content analysis.

Results: The results indicate that MoH considered technical factors while developing HIS in Kosova. Nevertheless, HIS fulfills only some of the essential functions. Barriers to efficient HIS among technical factors are lengthy, time-consuming manual HIS forms, inadequate data from HIS forms for NIPHK analysis, difficulties when changing software and HIS economic operators, and the complexity of HIS functioning.

Conclusion: Kosova still faces technical difficulties with an efficient and sustainable HIS system. Complex processes of extensive efforts have yet to produce the desired results, which prevent evidence-based health analysis and informed decision-making in Kosovar healthcare. More research is needed into organizational and behavioral factors influencing HIS efficiency in LMIC.

Keywords: Health information systems; Kosova; developing countries; technical factors.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

References

    1. AbouZahr C, Boerma T. Health information systems: the foundations of public health. Bull World Health Organ. 2005;83(8):578–83. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kimaro HC, Mengiste SA, Aanestad M. Redesigning health information systems in developing countries: The need for local flexibility and distributed control. Public Administration and Development: Int J Manag Res Pract. 2008;28(1):18–29. doi: 10.1002/pad.473. - DOI
    1. Berisha M, Miftari-Basholli F, Ramadani N, Gashi S, Hoxha R, Kocinaj D. Impact of the national population register in improving the Health Information System of malignant diseases in Kosova. Acta Inform Med. 2018;26(1):62–66. doi: 10.5455/aim.2018.26.62-66. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Aqil A, Lippeveld T, Hozumi D. PRISM framework: A paradigm shift for designing, strengthening and evaluating routine health information systems. Health Policy Plan. 2009;24(3):217–28. doi: 10.1093/heapol/czp010. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lafond A, Field R. The PRISM. Introducing an analytical framework for understanding performance of routine health information system. 2003 RHINO Second International Workshop, September 20–October 4, Eastern Cape, South Africa.

LinkOut - more resources