DIPC Personas

Context

What is a persona?

Personas represent the goals, behaviors, frustrations, challenges, and perspectives of typical learners.

Purpose:

• Helps ensure the materials resonate with the target learners
• Promotes empathy and understanding
• Focuses decision-making, particularly for designing learning activities, assignments, technologies, etc.
• Communicates training needs to stakeholders
• Validates design choices regarding content, instructional strategies, assessments, etc.

Creation Methods

1. Collected information regarding training needs and job responsibilities, which we filtered down to Direct Support personnel for health information systems
2. Classified these personnel into job categories, serving as the basis for each persona
3. Looked at qualitative data stated by that particular role, including personal characteristics and their expressions of training needs, health system challenges, barriers to learning, etc.
1. Also looked at the feedback from similar roles e.g. technical leadership’s expression of training needs on behalf of their development team
4. Synthesized information into individual personas

DIPC Global Personas

RI focused here

Personas focused on those implementing, supporting and managing HIS solutions. These may be enhanced, modified or changed to support local needs.

Ana Estrada Business / Systems Analyst

Skills

• HIT System Management
• Process Analysis, requirements gathering
• Data Management and Analysis

Training Needs

• Data Use, Management, & Analytics tools
• Change Management, Security, Health Standards, and System Design
• Quality Assurance, Human-centered Design
• Communication, Project Management

Frustrations

• Fractured systems due to lack of standardization
• Lack of time to invest in training
• Inadequate tools to do my work effectively
• Working with end users that have limited digital skills

Goals

In support of the Ministry of Health, my responsibilities include:

• Providing support for decision making based on the different health information systems in my country
• Design and manage technical solutions that help project teams perform their work more efficiently
• Ensure quality data comes into the system and back out to the users

Job Environment

“I am ready to scale up our digital interventions, but I also need to work within MoH policies and directives”

Bio

Ana works closely with the Ministry of Health to discover practical solutions and to design and implement healthcare systems that can assist her clients in their work. She is used to working under constrained resources and wishes for better tools for her work. Her experience is a mix of public health and information technology, although she would benefit from more formal training in both areas to understand best practices.

Systems Supported

• OpenMRS

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• DHIS2

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Atnafu Yosef Developer, Systems Engineer

Skills

• Computer Science + Information Technology
• Data Quality Analysis
• Networking and Systems Administration

Training Needs

• Software Development Lifecycle
• Working with latest and greatest technologies
• Management of Unified Systems
• Working with FHIR
• Standards and Interoperability
• Security and Confidentiality

Frustrations

• There is training available, but it is during business hours, and it is not always practical and applied to my work.
• Personnel are constantly changing, so we have to keep re-orienting new staff.
• Lack of good equipment and licensed tools available.

Goals

In support of my government clients, my responsibilities include:

• Develop adaptable, impactful platforms that benefit end users and patients
• Ensure data is accurately captured, recorded, and secured
• Maintain high availability and quality of data for decision makers
• Keep systems running smoothly and efficiently

Job Environment

“I want to learn and help, but most staff are not computer gurus, so it requires effort to make it easier to understand.”

Bio

Atnafu is a developer for a local NGO that supports the Ethiopian Ministry of Health. He has always been fascinated by technology and its potential to transform lives. He gains energy from collaborating with colleagues and thrives on finding solutions to complex programming challenges. He is proud to leverage his skills to strengthen public health infrastructure, one project at a time. However, he is often facing pressing deadlines, and he would like more time in his schedule to brush up on his skills.

Systems Supported

• DHIS2

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• OpenMRS

Common Tools

• Redcap (Data Collection)
• Python
• Java
• Excel

Idris Sesay Systems Administrator

Skills

• Health Information System development, implementation, + administration
• Team-oriented and broader communication
• Shell and script programming

Training Needs

• Networking + integration of computing devices
• Change Management
• Health data standards and interoperability
• Health informatics and computing basics
• Data science, analysis, and visualization

Frustrations

• Power fluctuation, internet connection interruptions, and other infrastructural challenges
• User adoption is hindered by low basic IT literacy skills, resistance to change, low support from stakeholders, etc.
• Existing training is theoretical, not practical or hands-on

Goals

In support of my hospital or clinic, my responsibilities include:

• Implement health information systems for health education, research, and clinical service quality improvement
• Ensure users understand systems and address challenges
• Maintain IT infrastructure to support healthcare delivery

Job Environment

“My duty is to clear the path so you can deliver care. When the systems work smoothly, you can fully devote yourself to the patients.”

Bio

Idris serves as a systems administrator at a busy clinic that suffers from frequent power outages and spotty internet. Idris takes great pride in being a pillar of technical knowledge for the clinic, troubleshooting issues and maintaining the IT infrastructure that's so vital for delivering care. Even on frustrating days, he keeps his optimism and focuses on the meaning behind his work.

Systems Supported

• CommCare

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• DHIS2

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• Logistics Mgmt. (LMIS)

Common Tools

• PowerShell
• Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS)

Thiago Moran Project Manager, Administrator

Skills

• Stakeholder engagement and alignment
• Finance and resource management
• Experience managing digital health projects

Training Needs

• Digital related skills
• Value and use of standards and interoperability
• Effective use of project management tooling
• People skills, resource management, and communication
• Strategic planning, incl. use of monitoring frameworks and theories of change

Frustrations

• Users struggle to define what data to collect and how manage and interpret it.
• Budgetary concerns and excessive controls can inhibit the execution of innovative projects.
• National stakeholders have insufficient digital health capability

Goals

In support of Ministry-owned systems, my responsibilities include:

• Securing stakeholder alignment amidst a diverse group with sometimes competing priorities
• Creating awareness and maintaining ongoing interest and commitment amongst stakeholders
• Supporting integration across heterogeneous systems

Job Environment

"I thrive on galvanizing people towards a shared purpose. Together we can achieve what no one could alone."

Bio

Thiago thrives on bringing people and technology together. As a project manager at Panama's Ministry of Health, he navigates a complex bureaucracy to drive adoption of innovative digital health solutions. He excels at securing alignment and commitment through his collaborative nature, strategic planning, and motivational skills.

Systems Supported

• mSupply Platform

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• Local COVID Systems

Common Tools

• Microsoft Office Suite

Efua Boateng Trainer, Support Analyst, Help Desk

Skills

• Understanding of clinical care and public health processes
• Communications - reports, presentations, planning, coaching, training facilitation

Training Needs

• Help desk and user support best practices
• Technical basics - Hardware, RAM, CPU, etc.
• Data analysis and visualization
• Database design and management
• Health information system management
• Best practices for training, mentoring, quality assurance, etc.

Frustrations

• Low motivation among users to learn or improve, possibly due to high workloads and low funding/resources
• Users are at varying skill levels with systems and technology in general
• The tools we support are inadequate, so it often does not meet user needs, even if we train them well.

Goals

In support of regional health systems, my responsibilities include:

• Ensure health information systems are used correctly and efficiently
• Enable users to access the appropriate systems for their work
• Support the users who have questions, feature requests, etc.
• Ensure data is captured accurately by users

Job Environment

"Trainings should be designed and targeted at building the knowledge and skills to improve their work"

Systems Supported

• SORMAS

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• Data Collection Tools

Common Tools

• Microsoft Office
• Learning Platforms

Bio

Efua is an encouraging and patient trainer devoted to improving health systems in Ghana. She leverages her deep knowledge of clinical processes to provide empathetic guidance on utilizing data and technology. Efua creates a welcoming environment for questions and guides users up the technology mountain with strategic patience.

Bio

Kwame is a dedicated nurse and health advocate working in a rural clinic in Ghana. He is committed to providing the best possible care to his patients through a combination of clinical excellence, preventative education, and harnessing the power of technology. Though limited resources and infrastructure frustrate him at times, Kwame maintains a positive attitude and continually looks for innovative ways to connect patients to the healthcare they need.

Kwame Asante Care Provider, Health Informaticist

Skills

• Understanding of clinical/healthcare process
• Promoting best practices in public health
• Patient education and information sharing
• Teamwork with other providers and staff

Training Needs

• Health Informatics
• Data-driven decision-making
• Peer-to-peer training and mentorship
• Basic Digital Literacy, data analysis, etc.
• Working with global goods and other tools

Frustrations

• Infrastructure issues: Poor roads, poor internet access, inadequate vaccine logistics, etc.
• Technical illiteracy among patients, leaders, and fellow providers
• Lack of integration across health information systems

Goals

In support of my fellow health system users, my responsibilities include:

• Provide high quality healthcare to patients, particularly those in high risk populations
• Ensure clinical data represents the realities of healthcare
• Promote preventative care to patients using their preferred communication methods

Job Environment

Systems Used

• DHIS2

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• OpenMRS

Lucy Mussa Immunization Officer, HIS Leader

Skills

• Management, Communication, Advocacy
• Strategic Planning, Financing, Leadership

Training Needs

• Digital health vocabulary and terminology
• Enterprise planning for digital health
• Applying principles of interoperability
• Global goods and digital health interventions
• Sustainability in digital health
• Organizational development
• Data-driven decision making

Goals

As a COVID Immunization Officer, my main responsibilities include:

• Managing and scaling new applications and digital solutions
• Investing in digital solutions that can be scaled beyond COVID-19
• Understanding the health ecosystem and enterprise architecture

Frustrations

• Lack of context for national health systems
• Time constraints for focusing on digital health during a COVID-19 vaccine rollout
• Low digital literacy and/or language barriers with English
• Resistance to change from leadership and from users

Job Environment

Bio

Lucy serves as the lead COVID focal point at her country’s Ministry of Health. She is experienced in administrative leadership, such as finances. She is leading the execution of an immunization strategy, which has been agreed upon by her and other stakeholders from the private and public sector. Lucy is often finding herself advocating for resources, including those to support the country’s eHealth architecture, although she wishes she had more of an understanding of the value for technical systems and initiatives.

“All tools can be considered ‘key’; at the end of the day, the enabling environment of the organization (guidelines, leadership, process, etc.) determines the success of a tool.“

Systems Used in Country