<i>In-silico</i> approach to the development of a prototype clinical information system for pediatric units

Abstract

There is an observed serious challenge to the provision and management of pediatric healthcare and facilities in most African countries. This has probably contributed to the high mortality rates recorded among African children. It is thus imperative to evaluate all possible approaches to the development of the appropriate management of the problem. In-silico approaches to information management of pediatrics sections of hospitals could for example help reduce mortality rates among children. This study was aimed at developing a prototype clinic information system for keeping track of infants’ clinical records, diagnosis of their various ailments, proffering possible solutions and their respective responses to drug treatments. Research focus was on the pediatric sections of some hospitals located in southwestern part of Nigeria, particularly sections in care of the children between the ages of 5 and 9 years. A monthly or annual report generated from this system will assist in making proper recommendation to research institutions on ways of improving chemotherapeutic management of common diseases of infants and to governmental agencies on the need for more funding to support in this quest. C#.Net was the programming language used for the implementation of the system, while SQL server 2008 was used to provide the database support. It is hoped that the developed system will help in the reduction of infant mortality rates in hospitals were it is implemented.

Keywords: Hospitals, in-silico, pediatrics, clinical information system

International Journal of Natural and Applied Sciences, 6(3): 254-262, 2010