By Megan Shea, Associate Program Manager, Global Business Systems
Imagine walking into your local clinic. What do you see? Organization, cleanliness and welcoming faces are some of the characteristics we expect to see from our own doctors and health providers. It’s no different at PSI’s social franchise clinics in Uganda, Cameroon, Nicaragua, Cambodia and elsewhere. When a client walks into the clinic she wants to see a welcoming face who can find her records quickly and provide the services she needs. This is where Client Based Record Management, or CBRM, comes in. CBRM gives PSI providers the resources and tools to track our clients, act on her history of care and service and center healthcare around the consumer.
PSI is currently implementing CBRM in 15 countries with support from the Women’s Health Project (WHP). These countries span across many regions, multiple languages, and different sizes of clinics. In these 15 countries, all Client Record data is being collected and recorded in DHIS2, moving from the client record, to the client log, and from there into DHIS2. This means PSI has individual-level data about the clients we’re serving and can track them through their continuum of care over time using their Unique Identifier Code (UIC). This information helps our providers and network members make better program decisions based on information about their clients.
As depicted in the video, CBRM is comprised of three core principles that are put in place whether the provider is using paper based records or Electronic Medical Records (EMR). The three principles: the Unique Identifier Code (UIC), the Client Record and Routine and Smart Filing come together to give PSI providers the tools they need to offer our clients good quality of care throughout her life. The UIC is a code that sticks with the client for life based on information about her that doesn’t change. This code connects to the Client Record, which documents medical history services received. From here, the Client Record is stored in a secure filing cabinet, or if follow-up is required, in a separate location using ‘Smart Filing’ to make it easier for the provider to follow-up. The separate ‘Smart File’ location is checked every day to make sure the provider follows up, either through calls or in person, and can close the loop of care. These three principles can be automated for Electronic Medical Records. Together in either paper-based or electronic medical records, CBRM provides continuity and quality of care.
