Introducing TSIS2: Jamaica's EMR for HIV based on Django

May 15, 2024

UCSF’s Health Informatics Hub developed Treatment Services Information System 2 (TSIS2) for Jamaica's Ministry of Health and Wellness (MoH&W) with PEPFAR funding. TSIS2 serves as an Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system hosted centrally by the government, that streamlines the collection and management of HIV treatment data. Its user-friendly interface facilitates easy navigation for healthcare professionals.

Menu shows patient name, pet name, sex at birth, and recent data with the date and type, e.g., appointment, viral load).
Part of the EMR’s navigation menu can be seen on the left. The screen shown here lists encounters that the client has had recently.

Before TSIS2, tracking treatment information for HIV patients in Jamaica was challenging. The previous system (TSIS1) was not able to sufficiently capture treatment data, support multiple patient identifiers, or ensure patient confidentiality between clinics and organizations. To address these shortcomings, the Hub assembled a team to support Jamaica in developing and testing TSIS2. The team utilized Django and PostgreSQL, an open-source database management system, to build a tailored EMR system with essential features for user management, security and database administration. Following a successful pilot, all the data was migrated to TSIS2, which was then launched nationwide.

Additionally, a comprehensive reporting platform, SUPA database, was created to analyze HIV treatment data to generate crucial reports for decision-makers at the MoH&W and other key stakeholders. This platform acts as a national data warehouse, enabling comprehensive reports for client care, program monitoring and disease surveillance.

Pop up with client's name, facility name, date, choose doctor examined by and case notes
A pop-up screen used to capture physical examination information for a client. The background reveals part of the system’s navigation menu.

TSIS2 offers granular security for managing treatment data across public, NGO and private facilities. Combined with its comprehensive reporting platform, Jamaica now has a fully functioning Case Surveillance system for HIV/AIDS which simplifies the management of individual cases treatment over the course of their lifetimes.