Evaluation of care and clinical outcomes after the implementation of an electronic medical record system for type 1 diabetes management in Rwanda
Background Electronic medical record (EMR) systems are increasingly used to improve disease management. However, the impact on data quality, quality of care and clinical outcomes for type 1 diabetes (T1D) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has not yet been explored. Objective The aim was to evaluate the ef...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | Global Health Action |
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| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2025.2457826 |
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| author | Nathalie Bille Dirk Lund Christensen Knut Borch-Johnsen Crispin Gishoma Stine Byberg |
| author_facet | Nathalie Bille Dirk Lund Christensen Knut Borch-Johnsen Crispin Gishoma Stine Byberg |
| author_sort | Nathalie Bille |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background Electronic medical record (EMR) systems are increasingly used to improve disease management. However, the impact on data quality, quality of care and clinical outcomes for type 1 diabetes (T1D) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has not yet been explored. Objective The aim was to evaluate the effect of implementing an EMR system on the quality of care and clinical outcomes for T1D individuals in Rwanda. Methods The Rwanda Diabetes Association collected data during quarterly district hospital visits. We evaluated the effect of a newly developed and implemented EMR system by assessing differences in clinical attendance and outcomes 2 years before (pre-EMR: February 2020-February 2022) and after (post-EMR: February 2022–February 2024) the deployment of the EMR system. Results We found an increase in the number of individuals examined and the number of consultations conducted post-EMR. There was an increase in data completeness on all parameters; however, we also found that more people did not monitor their blood glucose post-EMR. We found a significant increase in clinical attendance, and a reduction in median HbA1c levels from 81.4 mmol/mol pre-EMR to 63.9 mmol/mol post-EMR (p < 0.001). Conclusion Several quality and clinical indicators improved after the integration of the EMR system in T1D management. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study evaluating the impact of using an EMR system on the quality of care and clinical outcomes for T1D individuals in an SSA context. The long-term effect and implications are yet to be explored. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a4b8137c6d914c53924ab0603548ea24 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1654-9880 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Global Health Action |
| spelling | doaj-art-a4b8137c6d914c53924ab0603548ea242025-02-05T12:46:15ZengTaylor & Francis GroupGlobal Health Action1654-98802025-12-0118110.1080/16549716.2025.24578262457826Evaluation of care and clinical outcomes after the implementation of an electronic medical record system for type 1 diabetes management in RwandaNathalie Bille0Dirk Lund Christensen1Knut Borch-Johnsen2Crispin Gishoma3Stine Byberg4World Diabetes Foundation, Department of Digital Health SolutionsDepartment of Clinical Epidemiology, Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen, Herlev, DenmarkWorld Diabetes Foundation, Department of Digital Health SolutionsRwanda Diabetes AssociationUniversity of CopenhagenBackground Electronic medical record (EMR) systems are increasingly used to improve disease management. However, the impact on data quality, quality of care and clinical outcomes for type 1 diabetes (T1D) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has not yet been explored. Objective The aim was to evaluate the effect of implementing an EMR system on the quality of care and clinical outcomes for T1D individuals in Rwanda. Methods The Rwanda Diabetes Association collected data during quarterly district hospital visits. We evaluated the effect of a newly developed and implemented EMR system by assessing differences in clinical attendance and outcomes 2 years before (pre-EMR: February 2020-February 2022) and after (post-EMR: February 2022–February 2024) the deployment of the EMR system. Results We found an increase in the number of individuals examined and the number of consultations conducted post-EMR. There was an increase in data completeness on all parameters; however, we also found that more people did not monitor their blood glucose post-EMR. We found a significant increase in clinical attendance, and a reduction in median HbA1c levels from 81.4 mmol/mol pre-EMR to 63.9 mmol/mol post-EMR (p < 0.001). Conclusion Several quality and clinical indicators improved after the integration of the EMR system in T1D management. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study evaluating the impact of using an EMR system on the quality of care and clinical outcomes for T1D individuals in an SSA context. The long-term effect and implications are yet to be explored.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2025.2457826type 1 diabeteselectronic medical record systemsquality of careclinical outcomesrwandasub-saharan africa |
| spellingShingle | Nathalie Bille Dirk Lund Christensen Knut Borch-Johnsen Crispin Gishoma Stine Byberg Evaluation of care and clinical outcomes after the implementation of an electronic medical record system for type 1 diabetes management in Rwanda Global Health Action type 1 diabetes electronic medical record systems quality of care clinical outcomes rwanda sub-saharan africa |
| title | Evaluation of care and clinical outcomes after the implementation of an electronic medical record system for type 1 diabetes management in Rwanda |
| title_full | Evaluation of care and clinical outcomes after the implementation of an electronic medical record system for type 1 diabetes management in Rwanda |
| title_fullStr | Evaluation of care and clinical outcomes after the implementation of an electronic medical record system for type 1 diabetes management in Rwanda |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluation of care and clinical outcomes after the implementation of an electronic medical record system for type 1 diabetes management in Rwanda |
| title_short | Evaluation of care and clinical outcomes after the implementation of an electronic medical record system for type 1 diabetes management in Rwanda |
| title_sort | evaluation of care and clinical outcomes after the implementation of an electronic medical record system for type 1 diabetes management in rwanda |
| topic | type 1 diabetes electronic medical record systems quality of care clinical outcomes rwanda sub-saharan africa |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2025.2457826 |
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