iHRIS Software Included in WHO Compendium of Innovative Technologies

The World Health Organization (WHO) included iHRIS —the open source health workforce information software supported by CapacityPlus —in its 2012 compendium of innovative health technologies. The compendium includes more than 30 eHealth solutions and medical devices selected for their suitability for use in low-resource settings.

Fourteen countries are currently using iHRIS software to capture and manage nearly half a million health worker records, providing critical information to decision-makers to improve the geographic distribution and management of health workers. Using iHRIS to highlight gaps in the workforce, Kenya and Uganda have each advocated successfully for adding several thousand health workers to their respective national payrolls—decisions that will bring increased access to family planning and reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, and other health services for millions of people.

CapacityPlus provides global technical support, coordination, and community building for the software and assists implementation directly in Botswana, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Uganda.

The WHO compendium is designed to raise awareness of the need for appropriate and affordable technologies and foster dialogue among governments, donors, technology developers, and other key stakeholders to increase the use of these solutions.