title: Developing information technology at the Medical Research Unit of the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Lambaréné, Gabon.
abstract: Information technology has become a key resource for research institutions, providing services such as hardware, software and network maintenance, as well as data management services. The IT department of the Medical Research Unit (MRU) of the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Lambaréné, Gabon is a good example of how IT has developed at African Research Centres in recent years and demonstrates the scope of work that a modern research centre needs to offer. It illustrates the development in the past 15 years--from single computers maintained by investigators to the present situation of a group of well-trained local IT personal who are in charge of a variety of hardware and software and who also develop applications for use in a research environment. Open source applications are particularly suited for these needs and various applications are used in data management, data analysis, accounting, administration and quality management.
authors.affiliation: Department of Information Technology, Medical Research Unit, Albert Schweitzer Hospital, Lambaréné, Gabon.
authors.forename: Paterne Lessihuin
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Dibacka
authors.forename: Yann
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bounda
authors.forename: Davy Ondo
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Nguema
authors.forename: Bertrand
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lell
mesh_terms: D000046:Academic Medical Centers / Q000458:organization & administration*; D001317:Austria; D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005681:Gabon; D008490:Medical Informatics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014330:Tropical Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration*