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STAY INFORMED

Country: Ethiopia

Placement site: ALERT Hospital
Assignment Title: Data Management System Advisor
Length of assignment: 3-6 months (Part time)
 

In-country placement site: 

• ALERT Hospital, a government facility in Addis Ababa that serves a catchment area of approximately 1 million people; formerly a leprosy hospital, ALERT is currently the main referral site for skin conditions
• ALERT’s ART clinic is funded through PEPFAR/Ethiopia, with Johns Hopkins University ’s Technical Support for the Ethiopian HIV/AIDS ART Initiative (TSEHAI) being the primary supporter in collaboration with Christian Children’s Fund-Canada, Ethiopian North American Health Professionals Association (ENAHPA) and the Clinton Foundation; there are also a number of local and international partners working at the community level
• The ART clinic features a large waiting area, data records room, work room with a computer, several exam and counseling rooms with an additional waiting area, and a small space for an ARV dispensary. The clinic uses the hospital’s laboratory and there are 30 beds dedicated for AIDS patients in the hospital.
• ART Clinic staff includes five physicians, four nurses, two pharmacists, and two data clerks; each physician manages 160+ patients

Volunteer assignment:

Electronic data management is not currently standardized for all ART sites in , although the Ministry of Health has contracted for the development of a national Health Management Information System (HMIS) for use across all program areas. Until this system is in place, site level data management is limited to manual activities supported by non-standardized Microsoft Word-based tables or simple Excel spreadsheets. Given the high patient load and increasing demand from site level staff for some sort of electronic records management, Johns Hopkins University has developed an interim Access-format database that will allow sites to maintain pre- and ART-phase registers that will enable the sites to maintain standardized records and electronically generate the required government reports on a monthly basis.

Implementation of the TSEHAI Project’s ART-related activities includes providing support to the ART data unit by, among other things, helping to standardize record keeping procedures and to procure necessary equipment, materials, and supplies. Using the above-described system, the Data Management System Advisor will help to meet any additional needs of the ART data unit as specified by clinic leads. Specific activities will include, but are not limited to: assessment and identification of additional database features required beyond existing capacities; identification of potential data linkages between related clinics, departments, and offsite community-based activities; training of staff on how to use the final system efficiently and meet site needs in terms of data collection, management, reporting, and analysis.

Volunteer will need to closely work with TSEHAI programmatic staff, as well as site staff, to ensure cohesiveness and integration of all data related current and proposed future activities.

Length of the assignment:
The length of assignment is 3-6 months

Name and title of supervisor:
Dr. Yigeremu Abebe, ART Lead Physician

Name and title of counterpart/collaborators:
Micheal Haile, Senior Data Clerk, ALERT Clinic

Eyuel Tsegaye, Database Manager, TSEHAI Project

Abdu Dawud, Network Project Manager, TSEHAI Project

Volunteer Qualifications:
Required: 

• First or postgraduate degree in information technology
• Minimum of three years work experience in database management and/or developing an electronic database on chronic medical care
• Experience providing training and hands-on support in database management
• Fluent in English and Amharic

• A self-starter with strong written and oral communication skills
• Previous experience working in a low-resource setting
• Excellent interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to develop cooperative working relationships

Objective
The objective of the Data Management System Advisor is to increase the capacity of the clinic to collect and analyze patient data by developing and implementing an improved data management system

Volunteer responsibilities: 

• Assess the data management system currently being used at the clinic
• Learn and understand ALERT ART Clinic’s data management requirements for the ART program
• Develop recommendations for data system improvement and share with ARV staff and select the appropriate software for the data management system in conjunction with TSEHAI and ALERT staff
• Implement recommended data system improvement plans and test effectiveness and efficiency
• Provide data management system training and support to clinic staff

Deliverables 

• Written assessment of the clinic’s data management system and recommendations for improvement
• Timeline of implementation of data system improvement plan
• Recommendations for clinic data management follow up support

• Complete the scope of work in the timeframe outlined
• Complete the Twinning Center’s monitoring and reporting report monthly
• Adhere to the AIHA Volunteer Standards of Conduct 

• Provide resources necessary for volunteer to carry out his/her assignment successfully
• Identify a placement site counterpart for the volunteer to ensure sustainability of volunteer activities
• Submit quarterly performance assessment reports on the volunteer to the Twinning Center

AIHA Twinning Center:

• Conduct pre-assignment orientation and training for volunteer and placement site
• Provide volunteer with safe housing, monthly living allowance, medical evacuation insurance, and travel-related costs to and from placement site
• Provide ongoing support of volunteer as needed