In today’s world, timely and accurate health information can save lives, and the ability to exchange data seamlessly between health systems is crucial.
A Health Information Exchange (HIE) is essential for improving healthcare outcomes by enabling the efficient sharing of clinical data, which reduces duplicative testing, enhances care coordination, lowers costs, and ultimately improves the overall quality of patient care.
Jembi Health Systems has made significant strides in advancing Rwanda's HIE infrastructure by working closely with local and international partners. During our fourth Rwanda Hackathon, held in Kigali in 2024, we brought together experts from Jembi, the Rwanda Ministry of Health, CDC HQ, and Rwanda UCSF to help drive the required digital health innovation.
A Week of Collaboration and Achievement
The hackathon focused on two critical objectives fundamental to Rwanda's health data infrastructure:
Implementing a full Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) workflow for lab orders and results in a test environment
Enhancing Rwanda's OpenHIM Operational Dashboard
Both initiatives are key to ensuring that Rwanda's health data systems are not only interoperable but also capable of providing the insights needed for better healthcare delivery and resource allocation.
Objective 1: Building and Testing the FHIR Workflow
Key to this hackathon was the development and testing of a full FHIR workflow for exchanging lab orders and results between Rwanda's Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system and the Viral Load System Management (VLSM). This new and improved FHIR workflow:
Enhances accuracy and efficiency of lab data exchanges.
Ensures timely access to critical information for healthcare providers.
Was developed and implemented by the Jembi team.
Was successfully deployed in a staging environment.
Was rigorously tested end-to-end testing.
This important advancement for Rwanda's health information systems enables key systems to communicate seamlessly and support better decision-making.
Objective 2: Enhancing the Operational Dashboard
In addition to the FHIR workflow, Jembi focused on refining the OpenHIM Operational Dashboard—a tool that provides the Ministry of Health (MoH) with real-time visibility into the data exchange activities across the health system.
The new and improved dashboard now includes several critical features:
Transaction Tracking: Displays the number of transactions processed over a given period, providing a clear overview of system activity.
Data Visualisation: Introduces doughnut graphs that visually represent transaction statuses and counts by facility, making it easier for MoH officials to monitor performance.
Alert System: Highlights facilities that haven't sent data in over seven days, allowing the MoH to quickly identify and address potential uptime issues.
These enhancements both improve the dashboard's functionality and empower local health officials with the tools they need to manage and troubleshoot the HIE system more effectively.
Capacity Building: Empowering Local Teams
One of Jembi's core missions is to ensure that the systems they develop are sustainable long after the project's initial phase. This commitment to local empowerment has been demonstrated through numerous successful capacity-building initiatives across Africa.
During the Rwanda hackathon, Jembi continued this tradition by focusing on:
Training two technical specialists from QT System (a Rwanda MoH technical partner) on monitoring dashboard development and mapping mediator implementation
Providing hands-on experience with the new FHIR workflows and operational dashboard
Creating comprehensive documentation to support ongoing development and maintenance
The trained QT System team members are now equipped to drive the implementation of additional dashboards and maintain the crucial mapping needed for HIE integration between EMR and VLSM systems.
This targeted capacity building ensures that Rwanda's digital health infrastructure remains locally managed, enhanced and sustained. Supporting local ownership and expertise has proven to be essential for the long-term success of health information initiatives, as demonstrated by Jembi's track record across multiple African countries.
Looking Ahead
Building on this success, several key initiatives are planned:
Developing Rwanda's FHIR Implementation Guide for lab exchange use cases
Building a data analytics pipeline for enhanced business intelligence
Implementing Client Registry workflows to improve patient identification
The Rwanda 4th Hackathon marked a significant milestone in strengthening the country's health information systems. Through our collaborative efforts with the Rwanda Ministry of Health, CDC HQ, and Rwanda UCSF, we've enhanced Rwanda's capacity to manage health data and improve healthcare outcomes.
We at Jembi remain committed to supporting Rwanda's digital health journey, working alongside our partners to drive innovations that positively impact millions of lives.
