Principles of the conceptual design of the eHMIS application:

Affordability
The application is based on client-server architecture, which employs applications on several computers (clients) and a centralised data management system on a higher capability computer (server). This will be used in integration with open source environments like Apache web server, MySQL database, PHP scripting language. This facilitates for a lower Total Cost of Ownership as well as reducing development costs.

Reliability
The software and system should be reliable, guaranteeing availability, integrity and the deserved confidentiality of health data it will support. Furthermore, an effective backup and archiving concept with restore procedures will enable data restore in case of system crash or hazardous failure.

User-friendliness
The application will be designed such that health professionals in all departments (hospital administrators, physicians, medical practitioners, nurses, midwives, records clerks etc) can comfortably and easily interact with it. Participatory development, training and enhanced user-acceptance testing will achieve this.

Portability
Because eHMIS will be designed basing on a common international standard, it will be readily installed in all departments of the hospital to allow for seamless flow of information. Furthermore, eHMIS will be designed in modules, enabling the installation of only relevant modules such as in the pilot phase only casualty, emergency ward and theatre may be included and in the roll-out all other departments can be integrated such as pharmacy, laboratory, radiology, etc. Moreover Routine Reporting could be a module running stand-alone at the higher levels.

Centralized client management
The application will enable centralized client management, thereby making client information uniformly accessible from all departments of the hospital linked up in the system. Client identification will be with the help of unique identifiers capable of being defined during initial installation. A client who is referred to another department can find his/her data there real-time, assuming the units are linked and running eHMIS with provisions for real-time synchronisation.

eHMIS Security
The security of the eHMIS architecture will ensure that information is only accessed by those who need it. National and international data protection laws and regulations will be complied with during the design and implementation.

Compliance with International Coding Systems
The application will be designed in compliance with the ICD-10 classification and international codes for procedures in medicine and it will be available to support national, referral and district hospitals including health sub-districts.

Sustainability
Beyond the affordable technical infrastructure outlined above, a team of staff from Mulago itself, will be trained to maintain and sustain the eHMIS application and the technical infrastructure supporting it. All kinds of capacities such as routine maintenance tasks will be included in the training.