On Tuesday 28th March 2017, MRC Unit The Gambia will be launching the newly developed Electronic Medical Records System (EMRS) for the Clinical Services Department (CSD). The Development of EMRS for MRCG is a major milestone to improving quality care, patient safety and reduce costs. The implementation process of EMRS, which is a digital version of a paper chart that contains all patient's medical history, started in March 2015. The system enables the various groups within the CSD i.e. doctors, labs, pharmacists, billing to share information as the patients proceed through the clinic.

The project was spearheaded by Bai Lamin Dondeh, Head of the Data Management in collaboration with the then Head and the current Acting Head of Clinical Services Drs Suzanne Anderson and Dr Karen Forrest and their team. Phase one of the project integration included; automation of the Gate Clinic, pharmacy, inventory of stock as well as the in-patient clinic while phase two includes the integration of Electronic Gate Clinic, E-patient card, improved Doctor Interface and Ward functions. The complete integration of phase one was successfully completed in March 2017.

Moving into automation with the EMRS has significantly improved efficiency, speed, and safety within the CSD. It enables a seamless and timely flow of information with regards to streamlined processes as well as implement automated validation controls in critical areas of the system. Time spent on capturing and confirming information has been reduced drastically.