World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Training and Research in
Mental Health and in the Prevention of Substance Abuse
NKI/WHO MHIS
Nathan S. Kline Institute/World Health Organization
Mental Health Information System
Version 4.0c
Contents:
·
Overview
o
Purpose
o
Where the System Can be Used
o
User Interface
o
Data Collection
o
Data Items
o
Output
o
User Customization
o
Security and User Profiles
o
Programming
o
Technical Requirements
o
Network Requirements
·
Download Files
o
Installation Instructions
o
NKI/MHIS Program
Overview
Purpose
The microcomputer-based NKI
Mental Health Information System was developed in the interest of improving the
availability, quality and comparability of basic data needed for planning,
managing and delivering mental health services. The System is designed to: 1)
collect a standard minimum data set on each patient that can help provide a
balanced picture of the population in treatment, 2) generate information for
planning, resource allocation, reporting to governing, regulatory and funding
bodies, 3) research and 4) provide the clinician or treatment team with basic
information about a patient. Version 4.0 of the System was written for to take
full advantage of the the Windows 9x/NT environment, and will operate either
stand-alone or as part of a Windows network.
Where the System Can be Used
The System can be used by
individual facilities as well as by regional and local mental health programs
and allows for the aggregation of data across service levels. The System can
also be used in integrated health/mental health programs . Where individuals
can be identified uniquely across the participating programs, data can be
aggregated so as to produce reports based on unduplicated counts.
User
Interface
To facilitate learning and usage,
standard Windows 95 screens and data entry techniques are used throughout.
Extensive Help screens offer the user information at the program, screen and
data item levels.
Data
Collection
The core information in the
System is based on a review of studies of minimum data sets done by the
National Institute for Mental Health, The Nathan S. Kline Institute for
Psychiatric Research and the World Health Organization, as well as New York
State Office of Mental Health data collection forms. If necessary, the data
item names may be modified by the user to meet local needs or may be translated
into the local language. Data may be entered directly onto the screen during an
interview or may be recorded on data collection forms for later entry into a
computer.
Data
Items
The data items include: 1)
identifying data such as name, alias, sex, date of birth, 2) administrative
data such as admission and discharge dates, county of residence and payment
source, 3) historical data such as prior treatment, source of referral,
housing, education, 4) clinical data such as diagnosis, presenting problems,
handicaps, 5) service data such as programs, type of service, clinician,
duration, 6) legal basis for admission, where applicable, 7) free-form text
such as clinician notes, 8) image data such as photographs or scanned text, 9)
user defined data items, 10) discharge data such as condition on discharge and
11) staff data such as specialty and education.
Output
The System produces 1) on-screen
display of data on individuals, 2) pre-programmed standard reports including
a variety of listings such as rosters, 3) custom reports using a variant of
SQL (Structured Query Language) to generate listings, counts, simple plots
and graphs and 4) files for use as input to statistical analysis packages
such as SAS and SPSS. In addition, data can be accessed directly using systems
such as Paradox and Crystal Reports which can read Paradox tables.
User Customization
The system is driven by an active
data dictionary which the system administrator may use to customize the system
for local needs including: 1) changing the name of any data item, 2) removing
data items that are not needed, 3) adding and changing definitions for coded
data items, 4) setting access rules for each data item, 5) specifying the hint
and help text associated with a data item, 6) renaming and/or removing whole
data segments, 7) setting access rules for an entire segment and 8) creating
custom segments holding single data items. User messages, menu item names and
button names are contained in the message data base. Any message, menu name or
button name can be changed or translated into the local language via the message
maintenance program.
Security and User Profiles
Access to the System is controlled
by requiring users to sign-on with a user id and, optionally, a password.
A user profile, associated with each unique user id/password combination,
can be used to setup different data bases, data dictionaries, message tables
and lookup tables for each user. By associating different users with specific
data dictionaries, each can have different access privileges. In a multilingual
environment, the System can be set up to allow some users to see all screens
and messages in one language, e.g., English, while other groups of users may
view the same screens and messages in other languages, e.g., Spanish.
Programming
The system is written in Delphi,
an extensive programming environment for developing 32 bit Windows data base
applications. The programming language used by Delphi is an advanced object
oriented version of Pascal. Facilities and organizations with the appropriate
technical programming skills can modify the Delphi programming code to expand
and customize the system more extensively than permitted via the data
dictionary.
Technical Requirements
The System operates on any
Intel-based personal computer capable of running Windows 95/98 or NT 4.x. The
entire system requires less than 100 Mbytes of hard disk storage for
installation. (Additional space is required for user data.) A Pentium processor
with thirty-two Mbytes or more of RAM is recommended. A CD-ROM drive is
required for software installation.
Network Requirements
Download
Files
To download the NKI/WHO MHIS, click on the desired link below:
· Installation Instructions and readme file (Also included in the program package)
· Program Files and Demonstration Database