Last week, the OpenMRS community held a mini-meeting, which was an excellent opportunity to connect with everyone from the community. The meeting was a great success, and we enjoyed lightning talks by Ellen and Grace and also the Implementer’s showcase. However, the highlight of the meeting was the Special Presentation on System Security: Secure Software Development by Nino Hares. It was an eye-opener, and we all gained valuable insights into the security of our software.
During the meeting, I had the privilege of representing two squads, the SMART & CDS Squad and the Dictionary Manager Squad. I presented on behalf of the SMART & CDS team and Dictionary Manager team, and the video recordings and presentation slides are available for anyone interested.
Recording: SMART & CDS Squad and the Dictionary Manager Squad
Presentation slides: SMART & CDS Squad and the Dictionary Manager Squad
In addition to the mini-meeting, we also had an ANC squad call where we got an update on the design work. Paul and Ciaran updated us on the progress so far, and it was fascinating to learn about their research, including how they conducted remote interviews and their findings. They interviewed nine different ANC users from Uganda, Kenya, Sierra Leone, and Haiti. During the interviews, they identified some significant problems, such as providers misinterpreting warning signs or patient data, lack of confidence in decision-making, and challenges in record-keeping due to patient velocity or under-resourced facilities.
However, they also found some opportunities to improve the system, such as utilizing expert colleagues, smart forms, and facilitating group care. We had a productive discussion on the next steps for the design team and how we could implement these opportunities. Further, We had a productive discussion on the CQL-API OpenMRS module over the WHO Implementing call, which has been causing us some issues lately.
Finally, Joe and I worked together to write a blog post on Using OCL for OpenMRS Concept Dictionary Management. This post will help OpenMRS users easily utilize OCL and improve their workflow.
Overall, last week was a great week for the OpenMRS community. We had a successful mini-meeting, productive squad calls, and progress on our projects. I look forward to continuing this momentum and working together to improve OpenMRS for everyone.