MENTAL HEALTH INFORMATION SYSTEMS - WHO

1 MENTAL HEALTH INFORMATION SYSTEMS MENTAL HEALTH Policy and Service Guidance Package world HEALTH organization A MENTAL HEALTH INFORMATION system is a system for action: it should exist not simply for the purpose of gathering data, but also for enabling well-informed decision-makingin all aspects of the MENTAL HEALTH system . ISBN 92 4 154671 9 MENTAL HEALTH Policy and Service Guidance Package world HEALTH OrganizationMENTAL HEALTH INFORMATION SYSTEMSii world HEALTH organization 2005 All rights reserved. Publications of the world HEALTH organization can be obtained from WHO Press, world HEALTH organization , 20 Avenue Appia, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland (tel: +41 22 791 2476; fax:+41 22 791 4857; email: Requests for permission to reproduce or translate WHOpublications whether for sale or for noncommercial distribution should be addressed to WHO Press,at the above address (fax: +41 22 791 4806.))

2 Email: The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply theexpression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the world HEALTH organization concerning the legalstatus of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its fron-tiers or boundaries. Dotted lines on maps represent approximate border lines for which there may notyet be full mention of specific companies or of certain manufacturers products does not imply that they areendorsed or recommended by the world HEALTH organization in preference to others of a similar naturethat are not mentioned.

3 Errors and omissions excepted, the names of proprietary products are distin-guished by initial capital reasonable precautions have been taken by the world HEALTH organization to verify the informationcontained in this publication. However, the published material is being distributed without warranty ofany kind, either express or implied. The responsibility for the interpretation and use of the material lieswith the reader. In no event shall the world HEALTH organization be liable for damages arising from itsuse. WHO Library Cataloguing-in-Publication DataWorld HEALTH HEALTH INFORMATION SYSTEMS .

4 ( MENTAL HEALTH Policy and Service Guidance Package) HEALTH services SYSTEMS organization and administration 92 4 154671 9(NLM classification: WM 30) INFORMATION concerning this publication can be obtained from:Dr Michelle FunkMental HEALTH Policy and Service Development TeamDepartment of MENTAL HEALTH and Substance AbuseNoncommunicable Diseases and MENTAL HEALTH ClusterWorld HEALTH OrganizationCH-1211, Geneva 27 SwitzerlandTel: +41 22 791 3855 Fax: +41 22 791 4160E-mail: in China AcknowledgementsThe MENTAL HEALTH Policy and Service Guidance Package was produced under thedirection of Dr Michelle Funk, Coordinator, MENTAL HEALTH Policy and ServiceDevelopment, and supervised by Dr Benedetto Saraceno, Director, Department ofMental HEALTH and Substance Abuse, world HEALTH world HEALTH organization gratefully acknowledges the work of Dr Crick Lund,Department of Psychiatry and MENTAL HEALTH , University of Cape Town, South Africa,and Dr Tennyson Lee, Institute of Psychiatry, London.

5 United Kingdom, in preparing and technical coordination group: Dr Michelle Funk, world HEALTH organization , Headquarters (WHO/HQ), Ms NatalieDrew (WHO/HQ), Dr Benedetto Saraceno (WHO/HQ), Dr Margaret Grigg (WHO/HQ) andDr Steve Sapirie, Director INFORM, Management Sciences for HEALTH , Boston, MA,United States of assistance: Dr Th r se Agossou, WHO Regional Office for Africa (AFRO), Mr Mark van Ommeren(WHO/HQ), Dr Tom Barrett, (WHO/HQ), Dr Jos Miguel Caldas de Almeida, WHOR egional Office for the Americas (AMRO), Dr Antonio Lora, HEALTH Authority Region ofLombardy, Milan Italy, Dr Matt Muijen, WHO Regional Office for Europe (EURO), Dr S.

6 Murthy, WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO), Dr Vijay Chandra, WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia (SEARO), Dr WANGX iangdong, WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific (WPRO) and Dr ShekharSaxena (WHO/HQ).Administrative support:Ms Adeline Loo (WHO/HQ), Mrs Anne Yamada (WHO/HQ) and Mrs Razia Yaseen(WHO/HQ). Layout and graphic design: 2S ) graphicdesignEditor: Praveen BhallaiiiWHO also wishes to thank the following people for their expert opinion and technical input to this module:Dr J. Arboleda-FlorezProfessor and Head, Department of Psychiatry, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, CanadaMs Basia ArnoldPrincipal Technical Specialist, MENTAL HealthDirectorate, Ministry of HEALTH , New ZealandDr Joseph Bediako AsareChief Psychiatrist, Accra Psychiatric Hospital,Accra, Ghana Mr David BertolloNathan S.

7 Kline, Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA Dr CHUEH ChangAssociate Professional and Researcher,National Taiwan University, Taiwan (China)Professor Alan FlisherUniversity of Cape Town, Observatory, South AfricaMs Phillipa GainesManager, MENTAL HEALTH system Development, MENTAL HEALTH Directorate, Ministry of HEALTH , Wellington, New Zealand Dr HE, YanlingShanghai MENTAL HEALTH Center, Shanghai, China Dr HWANG Tae-YeonDirector, Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Community MENTAL HEALTH , WHO Collaborating Centre, Yongin MENTAL Hospital, Yongin City, Kyonggi Province, Republic of KoreaDr Stan KutcherAssociate Dean, Clinical Research Centre, DalhousieUniversity, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

8 Canada Dr Pirkko LahtiExecutive Director, Finnish Association for MENTAL HEALTH , Helsinki, FinlandDr Eugene M. LaskaDirector, WHO Collaborating Centre,Nathan S. Kline, Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USADr John MayeyaMental HEALTH Specialist, Central Board of HEALTH , Lusaka, ZambiaDr Graham MellsopHead, South Auckland Clinical School, University ofAuckland, Auckland, New ZealandMs Precious ModibaManager, HEALTH and Vital Statistics, Statistics SA, Pretoria, South AfricaDr Malcolm PhilipSainsbury Centre for MENTAL HEALTH , London, United KingdomDr Jane PirkisCentre for HEALTH Programme Evaluation, Victoria, AustraliaMs Mirja Sev nSecretary for International Affairs, The Finnish Association for MENTAL HEALTH , Helsinki.

9 FinlandDr Carole SigelNathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research Orangeburg, NY, USADr Zebulon TaintorPresident, world Association for Psychosocial Rehabilitation (WAPR), Department of Psychiatry, New York University Medical Center, New York, NY, USADr Rita ThomFaculty of HEALTH Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, South AfricaDr ZOU YizhuangVice Director, Beijing Hui Long Guan Hospital, Beijing, ChinaWHO also wishes to acknowledge the generous financial support of the Governmentsof Italy, the Netherlands and New Zealand, as well as the Eli Lilly and CompanyFoundation and the Johnson and Johnson Corporate Social Responsibility, A MENTAL HEALTH INFORMATION system is a system for action.

10 It should exist not simply for the purpose of gathering data, but also for enabling well-informed decision-makingin all aspects of the MENTAL HEALTH system . Table of ContentsPrefaceviiiExecutive summary2 Aims and target is a MENTAL HEALTH INFORMATION system ? are the main stages of an MHIS? where should INFORMATION be collected? types of INFORMATION should be collected? of an problems with HEALTH INFORMATION of MHIS small, but keep the big picture in view a minimum data the MHIS the relationship of the MHIS with INFORMATION SYSTEMS in the general HEALTH and other with all MHIS development to wider service development routine and non-routine how epidemiological data should be included in the privacy, confidentiality, access to INFORMATION and specific MENTAL HEALTH INFORMATION in designing and implementing a MENTAL HEALTH INFORMATION system35 Step assessment: what INFORMATION do we need?