CAREWare – An Information System for Anti-retroviral Therapy Patient Tracking. U.S.A. and International Experience

John Milberg, MPH, HIV/AIDS Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration, Parklawn Bldg., Rm. 7-90, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857, 301-443-8729, jmilberg@hrsa.gov

CAREWare is software that was originally developed to help U.S. Ryan-White Care Act grantees comply with the record keeping provisions of the act. It has since evolved into a full function application for tracking anti-retroviral therapy (ART) from the clinical standpoint. In addition, it is available in an international version that has been tailored for use as part of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (Emergency Plan) in developing countries. The technology platform of the software has also changed from MS Access to the MS .NET platform, providing greater flexibility and capability. Experience with the software in the USA and in international installations will be presented including implementation, training, and use issues. International requirements presented a particular challenge. The latest versions of CAREWare provide chronic care disease management functions to assist providers with user configurable alerts and advice. Implementation experience from domestic US and international ART sites will be presented with recommendations.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this session, the participant will be able to

1. List the requirements for a competent antiretroviral therapy information system.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Recorded presentation

Information and Communication Technology in Health Information Systems: US and International Experience

The 132nd Annual Meeting (November 6-10, 2004) of APHA