OpenCR
OpenCR
Open Client Registry (OpenCR) is an open source and standards-based client registry. Client registries use sophisticated record linkage processes to uniquely identify patients across multiple health information systems in facilities, pharmacies, lab systems, and elsewhere.
Approach
As a critical component of an interoperable health information exchange (HIE), it allows patients to be tracked across facilities and decreases instances of duplicate and incomplete records, as well as interruptions in treatment. It is a necessary tool in public health to help manage patient safety and care coordination, monitoring, reporting, surveillance, and medical research. OpenCR provides a way to link patients across different health information systems with a unique identifier that does not compromise patient privacy.
Implementations
OpenCR has been deployed in Botswana, Haiti, and Uganda and is part of DATIM's DASH architecture. OpenCR is a backend service, meant for existing applications, like electronic medical records, to create unique IDs. An example of primary users would be data administrators at a central Ministry of Health.