Digital Health Information Systems in the Member States of the Commonwealth of Independent States: Status and Prospects

Abstract

This paper examines the status of the development of national digital health information systems (HIS) in Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) member states. Data for research were collected using a questionnaire adapted from the questionnaire of the WHO’s Third Global Survey on eHealth. The results showed that the digital transformation of HIS was occurring in all seven CIS member states (participating in the study), which were financed by different resources. Laws and regulations on electronic medical records (EMR) use were present in almost all participating CIS member states. Various international standards and classifications were used to support development and the interoperability of digital health information system (d-HIS), including International Classification of Diseases (ICD), Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM), ISO 18308, Logical Observation Identifiers, Names, and Codes (LOINC), Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine Clinical Terms (SNOMED CT), and ISO TC 215. Several CIS member states had adopted a national information security strategy for the safe processing of both personal data and medical confidential information. The digital transformation of healthcare and the Empowerment through Digital Health initiative are taking place in all CIS member states, which are at different stages of introducing electronic medical and health records.