Hospital Information System Implementation in Francophone Africa

This comprehensive doctoral thesis examines the establishment of hospital information systems in French-speaking African countries, with specific focus on Mali. The work addresses critical challenges in healthcare IT implementation within resource-constrained environments, including cultural, political, organizational and infrastructural considerations. The thesis presents Cinz@n, an open-source based hospital information system developed and validated in Mali. Key topics covered include system architecture, patient identification standards, semantic coding references for diagnoses and procedures, process-oriented approaches, and implementation methodologies. The document compares commercial solutions like Cerner and McKesson with open-source alternatives, emphasizing advantages for developing nations. Substantial sections address IT governance, project management, organizational change management, and risk mitigation strategies. The evaluation of Cinz@n includes functional coverage assessment, user ergonomics, knowledge acquisition metrics, and data quality evaluation. The thesis provides practical recommendations for healthcare IT adoption in under-resourced settings while advocating for locally-adaptable solutions.