This article explores some ways in which computer technology can be harnessed to strengthen primary health care planning and management, make more efficient use of scare health resources, and maximize the beneficial impact on health of local, district, and national health systems in both developing and developed countries.
PIP: The special need to work for equity and cost-effectiveness in delivering health services in developing countries sparked the drive for the concepts of primary health care (PHC) and health for all. Planning, managing, monitoring, and evaluating PHC programs calls for data-based methods. As such microcomputer technology is the best way to improve the quality, timeliness, clarity, presentation, and use of relevant information for PHC management. The evolving incorporation of microcomputers in PHC and how they may improve the effectiveness and efficiency of health systems is discussed. Attention is focused upon applications for population-based PHC programs, and excludes consideration of medical offices, laboratories, and hospitals. The role of microcomputers in management information systems (MIS) is discussed at the local, district, provincial, and national levels. Guidelines for strengthening MIS at the 2 former levels are provided, while broader experiences are presented from Papua, New Guinea, Thailand, and the UK. Microcomputer applicability to cost and cost-effectiveness analysis, modeling and simulation for planning and resource allocation, decision-support systems, community health surveys and demographic surveillance, and health research is also discussed. The future of microcomputers in PHC is also considered.