1. Background  HIV Counseling and Testing (HCT) program started in Vietnam in 2002. To date, there are 240 clinics providing services to ~ 250,000 clients annually  National HCT guidelines issued in 2007, setting standards for HCT services  Data collection and management was mostly paper-based. Use of information technology limited to spreadsheet or EpiInfo-based tools  Need for a unified HCT information system to use across HCT services to support services improvement, information sharing and linkages with other HIV prevention and care and treatment services  Vietnam has strong IT infrastructure and plentiful and cheap IT resources outside the public health sector and is a leading software development outsourcing provider Dat T. TRAN (1) ; Ray L. RANSOM (1) ; Binh T. NGUYEN (2) ; Vinh Q. DAO (1) ; Thang T. NGUYEN (2) ; Cuong D. NGUYEN (2) ; Mitchell I. WOLFE (1) ; Long T. NGUYEN (2) ; An Q. CHU (2) (1) U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Vietnam, (2) LIFE-GAP, Ministry of Health, Hanoi, Vietnam Application of Computerized Information System to Improve HIV Counseling and Testing Services in Vietnam For more information please contact Dat Tran at TranDT@vn.cdc.gov or Binh Nguyen at binhlg@lifegap.org.vnTranDT@vn.cdc.govbinhlg@lifegap.org.vn Method  A Health Management Information System (HMIS) technical working group (TWG), represented by HCT implementers, CDC, WHO was established and led by Vietnam MOH  The TWG developed a set of common HCT indicators for program monitoring, evaluation, reporting and service improvement, and reached consensus and support from HCT implementers and MOH  The TWG developed a set of functional and technical specifications and related standards for HCT information system based on the national HCT guidelines and the common set of indicators  Functional specifications were submitted to competitive bidding and the lowest bidding, technically sound proposal was selected  The TWG provide technical assistance and supervision to the software vendor during development process Results  A local vendor with sound expertise in information systems for health was selected  First functional version available for testing and evaluation after three months  The TWG worked closely with the vendor in piloting, revision of the information system  The system was implemented at all HCT centers in Vietnam after a series of trainings, technically assisted by the TWG  A standardized data collection, management, reporting and data use system has been set up for HCT services  This information system has been approved by MOH as the national information system for HCT programs Further development results  A client tracking system based on this HCT information system has been established to monitor client flow from peer outreach program to HCT services  An electronic link between HCT services and HIV laboratories utilizing barcode technology for faster HIV test result return, reduced human errors and progress towards a paperless test result management system Lessons Learnt  The formation of a national information system TWG led by MOH with participation of domain experts and HCT implementers to develop the technical specifications of the required system ensured the appropriateness of the system and national ownership  Using local expertise with close supervision and technical assistance from the TWG reduced development time and cost while ensuring quality of the final product  Linkages across software platforms is achieved due to the development of a set of standards agreed upon  HIV Prevention and care and treatment professionals would benefit from additional training focused on the application of electronic systems to enable them to realize the benefit from the outset and to learn to use information for service quality improvement and program management Surprises During Implementation  Uncertainty about acceptability of electronic, paperless system from MOH and PAC. A parallel electronic and paper-based system has to be in place, leading to increased workload and human resource capacity concerns  The information system can greatly facilitate linkages with different services, enabling tracking of client movement to enhance service utilization and client satisfaction Conclusion  Standards TWG and program area IS TWG model can be applied for developing information system for other HIV services  Process has helped in improvement of data quality  A formal evaluation of the HCT IS would benefit HCT and future system development Presentation code: WePD500 PRESENTATION CODE: WEPD500 Screen shot from HCT information system with common indicators (data not real) Using GIS in HCT information system reporting Screen shot from HCT information system with visualized data (data not real) HCT information system data transaction and feedback flow Province AIDS Center Project Office Reporting Data use Reporting Data use HCT clinic Data entry Data quality QA Reporting Data use HCT clinic Data entry Data quality QA Reporting Data use Feedback Data submission VAAC A training on HCT information system Linking with LIS using barcode Referral tracking from Peer Outreach to HCT