The Data for Accountability, Transparency, and Impact Monitoring (DATIM) project has, since 2015, contributed to saving 25 million lives (1)Â through more effective HIV programs in the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) countries.
Jembi, with the support of PATH and Digital Square, has contributed technically to DATIM. Which compiles data on HIV programs from all PEPFAR countries to monitor programs and enhance accountability.
The DATIM application is based on a PEPFAR-specific version of DHIS2 and is used to collect data in PEPFAR-supported countries and collate it centrally. The DATIM application supports facility and community-based site-level reporting and sub-national and national aggregations. It also includes reporting to an international DATIM repository hosted by PEPFAR.
More than 20,000 people in 58 countries have used the DATIM platform (2). The DATIM project has also contributed to advancing digital health technology through funding and supporting the continued development of digital health tools, including DHIS2 and OpenHIM.
How has DATIM used OpenHIM?
OpenHIM aims to ensure different healthcare systems can 'talk' to each other. To do this, it acts as an interoperability layer in a health information exchange that enables data exchange between different health systems.
Within the DATIM project, OpenHIM enables the sharing of aggregate data. Data is collected at the country-level nodes and then via OpenHIM, centralized at DATIM Global, where it is analyzed and evaluated.Â
Our Milestones and Achievements while working with DATIM
OpenHIM’s journey with DATIM has included several key milestones in developing the technology. These illustrate our shared commitment to strengthening public health information systems.Â
As Jembi’s work on DATIM draws to a close, we celebrate our combined successes and look forward to new opportunities for OpenHIM to build on this momentum.
DATIM contributed to several elements of the OpenHIM roadmap, focusing on functionality identified by PEPFAR partner, ICF, and specific additional OpenHIM community requests.Â
DATIM's support helped enhance OpenHIM Features
Key enhancements to OpenHIM funded by DATIM include the following:Â
Single Sign-On (SSO) using Keycloak as the central OAuth provider. This supports multi-factor authentication and enhances overall security.
Integration and provision of native support for Kafka to allow for better event streaming.
Enhanced async workflow support, including new statuses to support more efficient and reliable data processing.
We are grateful to have added these essential features to OpenHIM, for the benefit of the whole OpenHIM community now and in the future. This is of growing importance to the 11 different health information exchanges (HIE) across Africa and Southeast Asia that are using OpenHIM.Â
Interoperability: Connecting for Better Care
Beyond successful projects, OpenHIM’s future lies in a robust and active community. At Jembi, we are committed to that future and want OpenHIM to play a crucial role within the healthcare ecosystem.
As such, we actively participated in discussions and collaborations, like the OpenHIE Interoperability Layer, the Shared Health Record Community, and other regular OpenHIE community calls. We are happy
to be the engine behind development, but we believe that OpenHIM must always remain community-driven.
OpenHIM's recent updates, including maintenance upgrades and security enhancements, have both originated from the community and are crucial in maintaining robust and secure data flows essential for healthcare initiatives like DATIM.
Helping to ensure healthcare providers have the information they need at their fingertips, ideally leading to improved program management that supports better patient care. Connecting data and people for better outcomes.
The OpenHIM's Role in Healthcare
As a result of our collaboration on the DATIM project, healthcare technology has made a substantial advance. Improving interoperability capability and making a contribution to the enhancement of OpenHIE’s stack.
This improved OpenHIM helps ensure the efficient and secure management of health information. To help program implementers make informed decisions about performance, and mount more effective HIV programs at scale in 63 PEPFAR countries (2).
As we move forward, the continued development and improvement of OpenHIM will play a crucial role in shaping the future of interoperability across the globe. And we invite you to stay connected with our journey because together we can create a healthier, more connected world.
