The challenge
Electronic medical records, laboratories and national reporting systems each serve different teams. Information held in one system can be difficult to use in another, especially when facilities and patients are identified differently.
The exchange
Savics and the Rwanda Biomedical Centre developed a shared exchange layer aligned with the Open Health Information Exchange (OpenHIE) architecture. The layer coordinates messages from systems such as OpenMRS and DHIS2, laboratory applications and the national identity database. Mediators check the credentials of systems sending requests.
Shared identities
The project also included separate registries for patients and facilities. The patient registry connects with the national identity database, while the facility registry gives participating systems a common reference for places where care is delivered.