Successful transfer of a Web-based TB medical record from Peru to the Philippines

Tuberculosis is a leading cause of death worldwide with a particularly high incidence in Peru, the Philippines, Africa and South Asia. Cases of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) have been rising dangerously in Peru and other countries. The more prolonged and complex treatment for MDR-TB was recently believed to be beyond the means of developing countries but excellent results have been achieved by Partners In Health(PIH) and its sister organization, Socios en Salud(SES), in Peru, where 4600 patients have started or completed treatment to date. To support this treatment, PIH developed an open source, web-based medical record, the PIH-EMR [1]. In 2004, PIH was asked to set up the PIH-EMR for the MDR-TB treatment program at the Tropical Disease Foundation (TDF) clinic in Manila, Philippines.