Access database
We are delighted to have found OpenMRS! CerviCusco is an NGO in the Andes Mountains of Peru. Many years ago, we developed an “EMR” using Access. Now with 47,000 patients, the system appears to be near terminal. We want to now begin using OpenMRS instead.
Our question is… could we migrate our health care data from 47,000 patients in Access to OpenMRS? If possible, what would be involved?
Many thanks in advance for your expert replies.
Moved to development category
@dferris, yes you should migrate the data to Openmrs. You need to understand Openmrs data structure, map your datasets and write a few sql codes. I am thinking, back then on Openmrs 1.6, there was spreadsheet upload utility which we used then for migrating data with a GUI data mapping utility
@dferris can you start by taking a look at this? https://wiki.openmrs.org/display/docs/Migrating+Data+to+OpenMRS
Welcome, and it sounds like an interesting project!
A couple of high-level suggestions:
You may do best if you first think about “how do I represent the data I want to have in OpenMRS”. The answer to this involves building Forms and creating or using an existing Concept Dictionary. Once you have a clearer picture of this, it’s easier to think about “how do I migrate my existing data to my OpenMRS configuration”?
Migrating data is likely to be a tedious process. Depending on the level of EMR/IT resources you have access to, it may or may not be their best use of time. There are people and companies around the OpenMRS community who can do this kind of work, for a pretty wide range of costs. And specifically migrating data from an existing Access format into a configured OpenMRS installation is something someone could likely do on the lower end of the price range.
