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Health workforce managers have a new tool they can count on to better know and manage their health workforces. iHRIS Train, which manages data on the education of health professionals—both before entering the profession and while in service—is the latest application in the growing iHRIS lineup of workforce management software.
iHRIS Train sheds light on a critical area of the health workforce picture. This tool collects and reports data on the number of health professionals being trained in necessary skills and key cadres. Used together, iHRIS Train, iHRIS Manage, and iHRIS Qualify offer a complete health workforce solution.
IntraHealth International launched the first version of its free, open source iHRIS software in 2007 to meet the needs of countries around the world that suffer from shortages of health workers. iHRIS offers a way for those countries to gather and manage data, a vital component in any growing health sector. Government agencies in Africa, Latin America, and India now use the adaptable iHRIS software to store over 675,000 health worker records, allowing country officials to track, manage, and plan for their health workforces.
One Big Step for Local iHRIS Innovators
The introduction of iHRIS Train marks a significant milestone in realizing two core iHRIS principles: local ownership of health solutions and national innovation. iHRIS Train was the first of the iHRIS applications to be developed in the country where it will be used.
In response the Uganda Ministry of Health’s need to manage professional development for its health workforce, Nobert Mijumbi and Ismail Wadembere of IntraHealth’s Uganda Capacity Program developed the new software by adapting the core iHRIS code. As members of the iHRIS Global Support Community, the Ugandan developers shared their work with other iHRIS developers worldwide for feedback.
After receiving input from the Ministry of Education and Sports and the Uganda Nurses and Medical Board, Mijumbi and Wadembere expanded their initial plans for the software to include information on preservice education and examination results. They also ensured that iHRIS Train could easily share training data with existing information systems.
Uganda’s Ministry of Education and Sports began using iHRIS Train in June 2013. To get the software up and running quickly, 42 ministry staff were trained to manage and update the system, and 60 senior managers learned how to produce their own reports for planning and decision-making. Partner organizations implementing trainings in Uganda have also learned the system and have agreed to use iHRIS Train to manage their training programs.
An iHRIS Train for Every Nation
Although it was developed based on needs specific to Uganda, iHRIS Train can be customized for any country and context.
In Kenya, Naomi Waithira, David Juma, and Martin Kinyua of IntraHealth’s FUNZOKenya project have already adapted Uganda's code to manage in-service training courses for the Ministry of Health. iHRIS Train is also being customized in Nigeria by Agbonkhese Oaiya of the IntraHealth-led CapacityPlus Project to track trainings provided by PEPFAR implementing agencies.
As with all iHRIS software, iHRIS Train is offered free of charge to all iHRIS implementers around the world under an open source license.